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Duplin County Schools board considers honoring Senior Tar Heel athletic card, eyes 50% discount for high‑school games
Summary
At an October business session, Duplin County Schools staff described a local rollout of the Senior Tar Heel athletic card for residents 60 and older; a board member moved to offer a 50% admission discount for high-school athletics, but the board tabled a final decision until November to allow budget analysis.
Duplin County Schools board members on Tuesday heard a presentation about the Senior Tar Heel athletic card and debated whether to offer discounted admission for county high‑school athletic events.
Melissa Brown, Duplin County’s director of senior services, told the board the North Carolina Division of Aging has shifted issuance of the card to local agencies and that her office has received repeated requests from seniors seeking the benefit. "My name is Melissa Brown. I'm the director of senior services," she said, and described how the card would be verified locally (residency and proof of age, 60 years and older) and logged by her office.
The district currently charges $10 admission for high‑school events; board member Miss Edwards proposed a 50% discount (a $5 admission) for seniors at high‑school athletic events and moved that the board adopt the rate and allow the senior group to issue cards, with an effective date of the winter sports season. Another board member said they would prefer making the benefit free, while Ms. Brown warned that publicizing the program could produce a large surge in demand.
Board members asked staff to evaluate the budgetary impact and whether the discount should extend to out‑of‑county visitors; Brown said issuance records would be kept and she could provide numbers to help the analysis. Brown also noted local practice varies—some neighboring counties offer free admission, others offer discounts, and some do not honor the card at all.
Chair Davis recommended tabling the motion and directing the athletic department at the school level to analyze the fiscal effect; the board agreed to revisit the item at its November meeting.
The board did not take a final vote on the admission policy at the meeting. The next procedural step is for district athletic staff to present projected budget impacts and for senior services to report how many cards are issued once local distribution begins.
