Residents of the town of Paden express displeasure over school closure | News, Sports, Jobs

Residents of Paden City recently expressed their displeasure over the closure of Paden City High School. (File photo)

A crowd of Paden City residents crowded into the Wetzel County Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, and many of them expressed their displeasure to the board and Superintendent Cassie Porter over the temporary closure of Paden City High School.

Porter, the board and the audience discussed the closure for about three hours. Porter said it was necessary because the school building was located on an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site.

In her letter announcing the closure, Porter said the school is sitting on a cloud of the chemical tetrachloroethylene, also known as PCE, which originated at an old dry cleaner in Paden City. That chemical forced Paden City residents to go without their tap water for nearly a month last year. Porter said that for the safety of students and staff, seventh and eighth graders would transfer to New Martinsville School in the 2024-25 school year, while ninth through twelfth graders would transfer to Magnolia High School.

The West Virginia Department of Education expressed confidence in Porter’s authority and reasoning behind the move in a statement last week. Paden City residents who spoke Tuesday did not share that confidence.

School board member Brian Price, a former teacher in Paden City whose wife is the band director at PCHS, asked Porter several questions about the move. After explaining that he “bleeds green and white” — as his father was in first grade at Paden City and his siblings and children all graduated from PCHS — he inquired if the students could be housed in church buildings or the city’s old middle school instead of moving to New Martinsville and Magnolia. He also asked if the New Martinsville School has enough space to accommodate the additional students.

Part of the problem, Price said, is that there have been two previous discussions about closing Paden City High School and merging it with Magnolia. Both times the school board voted unanimously against it, but Price said it has led to a loss of trust among Paden City residents.

Porter responded that student safety is the school district’s top priority and students should not be put at risk, so the best alternative is to relocate the students.

Later in the meeting, several Paden City residents spoke up. Margaret Sine, a former principal of Paden City Elementary School, called the manner of the announcement “cruel and cowardly,” adding that while Porter justified the school closure based on the health of students and staff, he failed to consider the mental health of students.

Bill Bell, a Paden City Councilman and also a teacher at PCHS, shared Sine’s concerns about how the announcement was made public. He said he had just finished a busy school year when he received an email announcing the change, to which he received no response. He added that he was disappointed to learn of the decision in a mass email and that PCHS families and students should have been informed in a more respectful manner.

A common thread among speakers was questioning Porter’s reasoning regarding student and staff safety. Paden City resident Mike Turner said there are risks in transporting students from Paden City to New Martinsville, risks in New Martinsville’s water supply and risks associated with rail cars parked next to Magnolia High School. Resident Rodney McWilliams said there is no scientific evidence that Paden City is unsafe. He has EPA reports claiming there is no risk in keeping the school open, as well as letters from Paden City alumni who are scientists and disagree with the school’s closure.

During the meeting, Porter stood by her decision to close the school.

“We are doing what we believe is best for the health and safety of students,” she said.