Thousands of school buildings in North Carolina, including many in Wake County, do not have carbon monoxide detectors.

On Wednesday, state schools leaders will look at how to address that. Talks are happening inside the state education building about ways to keep your student safe.

On Wednesday, we’ll get a breakdown of what it would take to install carbon monoxide detectors in schools.

State education leaders will be reviewing a report Wednesday afternoon. It shows most North Carolina schools don’t have them.

In Wake County, about 200 school buildings don’t have the devices. That’s more than a third of school buildings in the county. It would cost about $2.1 million to get them installed. It would cost $40 million to install them in schools across the state.

Nikki James Zellner with CO Safe Schools said not having these detectors puts children at risk.

“We think that we’re protected when we’re going into these establishments,” she said. “We think that our children are protected, but in reality, we’re relying on institutional standards that haven’t really been updated in a significant amount of time.”

The state of North Carolina is uber-important to the Tennessee Volunteers on the recruiting trail and should only get more important in the coming years.

The Tennessee Volunteers are currently on a hot streak on the recruiting trail. They added commitments from Toombs County safety Lagonza Hayward and Derby High School tight end Da’Saahn Brame over the weekend, putting them at the No. 8 overall class in the 2025 cycle. They still have several important announcements in the near future, several from the state of North Carolina.

The Vols have been adamant about successfully recruiting the state of North Carolina for years, and as more blue-chip talent continues to come from the Tarheel state, the more Tennessee will spend its time within that footprint. They’re firmly in the race for Providence Day School offensive tackle David Sanders Jr., who ranks as the No. 2 prospect in the 2025 class. He announces his decision on August 17th, and the North Carolina native is quite high on the Vols.

Additionally, Grimsley High School quarterback Faizon Brandon decides between Alabama, LSU, North Carolina State, and Tennessee this weekend. The No. 9 prospect in the 2026 class also hails from North Carolina and is Tennessee’s top target at the quarterback position.

There are plenty of examples of future standouts coming from the state and past ones who’ve made an impact at the University of Tennessee – the school’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2015 was North Carolina native Jaylen Wright, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel met with the media ahead of fall camp and discussed why they continue investing so much in the state.

“It is a border state,” Heupel explained to media on Tuesday. “For us, we believe and look at it and view it as part of our footprint. We are intentional in how we recruit that state.”

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