After mulling over the information provided, the board of education approved Monday night the expulsion of a female student from Pocahontas County High School for up to one year for bringing a pill and marijuana to school and snorting the pill in the bathroom.

A second female student was expelled for up to a year for snorting a prescription pill in the bathroom at school. The pill in the first case was not identified as being a prescription medication.

During the board's regular meeting, Dale Withrow, of Chapman Technical Group, and Roger Trusler presented the board with new information on the Pocahontas County Multi-purpose Community Center.

"We are here to present the progress we have made with the multi-purpose community center," Trusler said. "It has been funded in the amount of $2,922,000. After jumping through all the hoops for the state and federal government, we're finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel."

Withrow displayed an artist's rendering of the center, along with floor plans. The center will be built as an addition to Marlinton Elementary School.

"What we're doing is tying onto the end of the existing music building, perpendicular to that," Withrow said. "We are going to be providing you with a middle school sized gymnasium with a basketball court, multipurpose rooms, raquetball courts, a wellness center and, of course, all the amenities that are required to go with it, restrooms, a concession stand and auxiliary office."

Withrow said the area the center will be built up to the level of the music building. Although this will require added construction, it will elevate the center out of the flood plain.

"The new gym area will actually be four and a half feet above the ambient school level," he said. "In order to access that, we're proposing a ramp that will be enclosed. This will be a new facade on the music building that will enclose the ramp so the students will not have to go outside to access the gym."

For security purposes, Withrow said the plans include the ability to lock certain parts of the building to keep the children separate from the public.

"During the day, we will be able to lock out the wellness center and the raquetball courts from the gymnasium so it will only be accessed by the school," he said. "During after school hours, we'll be able to lock out the school from the rest of the building and open it up to the public. They [the public] will have full use of the building, but not access to the school."

Withrow shared a timeline with the board to illustrate the progress of the entire project, which is estimated to take 25 months. Once ground is broken, Withrow assured the board that construction will not interfere with school and when construction takes place in the music building, it will only close off a portion of the building.

"We were hoping to start in the spring, but it's not possible," Withrow said. "It will probably be later summer, but it will be summer."

In other updates:

ﾕ Associate Superintendent for Operations and Treasurer Alice Irvine said she and Director of Federal Programs Terrence Beam worked on the new intercom system for Hillsboro Elementary School. They decided the best option would be to get the system through Frontier. To make installation of the system go faster, Irvine said they will research hiring a couple school maintenance employees to do the wiring.

ﾕﾠ Coordinator of Student Services and Special Education Diane Delfino said a Wellness committee meeting of all the school committees will meet December 2 to discuss plans for the school year. Delfino and school nurse Jenny Friel will conduct the meeting.

ﾕ Board member Jan McNeel spoke about the board's ongoing issue with accessibility of the gym at Pocahontas County High School. McNeel did research and spoke to faculty at Bridgeport High School about the accessibility of their gym. She said the board needs to look into a way to allow students to use the gym because it's a part of the wellness plan for students to get exercise during school.

ﾕ Superintendent C.C. Lester recognized PCHS dean of students Melvin Lindsey for his assistance with the spirit bus which traveled to the playoff game Saturday. Lester said the cheerleaders were to ride the bus but couldn't because they did not have a sponsor, leaving them without enough students to take the bus. Lindsey agreed to ride the bus in order for the cheerleaders to have a supervisor and so the other students could go to the game.

ﾕ Board president Kenneth Vance recognized Green Bank Elementary-Middle School fourth grade teacher Marsha Beverage for her efforts in organizing the school's Harvest Day. He said the day was very successful and the children seemed to really enjoy all the activities.

In financial management, the board approved the following:
ﾕ Payment of vendor listing of claims in the amount of $85,036.31.

ﾕ Financial items: Bank Reconciliation, Revenue and Expenditures Summary, Budget Supplements, Budget Transfers and Projects Summary.

In personnel management, the board approved the following:

ﾕ Medical leave of absence of Danielle N. Goode as teacher at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School, effective after all sick leave days have been exhausted, with an approximate return date of January 31, 2011.

ﾕ Requested transfer of Denise M. Elliott from itinerant teacher of visually impaired for Pocahontas County Schools to itinerant teacher of visually impaired/special education (autism) for Pocahontas County Schools, effective November 17, for the remainder of the 2010-2011 school year.

ﾕ Employment from preferred recall list of Carolyn J. Pennington as half-time itinerant special education classroom aide/bus aide for Pocahontas County Schools, assignment Hillsboro Elementary School, effective November 29, for the remainder of the 2010-2011 school year. Term of employment is 131 one-half days.

ﾕ Employment of Sharon J. Moore, as substitute teacher for Pocahontas County Schools, effective November 16, for the remainder of the 2010-2011 school year, as needed.

ﾕ Requested change in employment term of Samantha McClure as Academic Interventionist at Hillsboro Elementary School from six hours per day at $20 per hour, as needed to Academic Interventionist at Hillsboro Elementary School for three hours per day at $20 per hour, as needed, retroactive to November 1.

ﾕ Abolishment of position of itinerant teacher of visually impaired for Pocahontas County Schools, effective November 17.

ﾕ Abolishment of position of itinerant teacher of autism for Pocahontas County Schools, effective November 17.

ﾕ Creation of positions of two itinerant teachers of special education (mental retardation/behavior disorders/specific learning disabilities)/autism for Pocahontas County Schools, effective for the remainder of the 2010-2011 school year.

In miscellaneous management, the board approved the following:

ﾕ Travel requests for November 15.