Judge rules Paden City High School will stay open

Originally published Aug. 1, 2024

WETZEL COUNTY, W.Va. – School is back in session. That was the ruling late Wednesday night from Wetzel Circuit Judge Richard Wilson who ordered that Paden City High School will remain open for the upcoming school year.

According to the West Virginia Record, a group of Paden City residents and school employees represented by Wheeling attorney Teresa Toriseva had filed a petition asking the court to stop Wetzel County Schools Superintendent Cassie Porter’s planned closure of the school due, in part, to toxic chemical concerns.

Paden City High School is located on a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site. According to the EPA, Superfund gives EPA the funds and authority to clean up contaminated sites. In July 2024, EPA received questions about benzene in the high school and completed vapor intrusion testing which they say showed no significant levels of contaminants.

Porter had planned to move the Paden City High School students to Magnolia High School.

Plaintiffs in the case cited Paden City High School’s academic and athletic achievements and historic importance to the community as some of the reasons it should remain open. Students resume classes August 19.