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Parents and residents press board on breakfasts, volunteer reinstatement and rezoning in public comment
Summary
Three public commenters urged the board to improve breakfast nutrition, consider a volunteer reinstatement, and study rezoning to support dual-language and community-school models; district staff summarized summer feeding results but took no immediate action on the requests.
Three members of the public used the allotted public-comment time at the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools Board meeting on Aug. 26 to raise distinct issues: school breakfast quality, a request to reinstate a volunteer, and a detailed rezoning proposal.
Theresa Hemphill, who said her family recently moved to Pasquotank County, said her oldest child started first grade that day and that the school breakfast choices she observed were donuts and Pop-Tarts with fruit punch and limited fresh fruit. "We're pumping them full of sugar 1st thing in the morning and then expecting them to focus in classrooms," Hemphill said, and she asked who provides meals and what options exist.
District child-nutrition staff had earlier reported that the summer feeding program provided just over 72,000 meals across school and community sites, including 16,540 meals at the district's newest library site, and noted that students at participating sites do not pay for breakfasts, lunches or suppers. The board did not make an immediate change to the menu during the meeting.
Tony Sawyer apologized for past remarks he said may have offended board members and asked the board to reinstate him as a volunteer after a background-check issue removed his volunteer status. "Tonight I wanna apologize ... I will ask that you, the board, vote tonight to reinstate me," Sawyer said. The board did not take public action on the request during the meeting; personnel and eligibility matters may be handled in a later process or in closed session.
Elizabeth Shakin delivered a more formal proposal asking the board to rezone River Road students to Northeastern High School within two to four years and to consolidate other schools in the district to strengthen the community-school model and sustain dual-language immersion. She framed the plan as a way to consolidate operational expenses, increase enrollment at better facilities and preserve specialized programs.
The board listened and thanked speakers; no agenda item was scheduled at the meeting to enact rezoning or immediate volunteer-reinstatement steps. Such proposals typically require staff study and a future board agenda item before any formal action.
