Williamstown Athletic Director Jill Bryant talked to the Wood County Board of Education Tuesday night about plans for the Williamstown High School soccer program. Bryant said meetings were held with coaches, parents and current players were held with most voicing support for the co-ed soccer model. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

PARKERSBURG — The Wood County Board of Education voted not to accept the proposed attendance boundaries for Jackson Middle School and Hamilton Middle School beginning the 2025-2026 school year during its regular meeting Tuesday night.

The initial proposal from the administration was a 70-30 split, with the boundary for Hamilton Middle School being south of Memorial Bridge Road and Emerson Avenue, and the boundary for Jackson Middle School being north of Memorial Bridge and Emerson Avenue.

However, board member Ron Tice presented an alternative 55-45 split plan that he had developed with the administration.

“We have a better plan,” Tice said. “I worked with Mr. Hartshorn (Assistant Superintendent of Academics and Leadership Justin Hartshorn) for three days on it, and we have come up with a better plan.

“The new plan instead will be, instead of being that 70-30 it’s going to be 55-45 (split). There will be 120 students that will be going from the Jefferson area, so forth, over to Hamilton. …It’ll be 120 kids total going to Hamilton, and there’ll be 100 kids going to Jackson. And the boundary line will be moved from the Memorial Bridge line, it’s going to be moved back to 19th Street so they can include more people that will go to Jackson.”

Taylor Weppler, a student at Williamstown High School, spoke to the Wood County Board of Education Tuesday night about her frustration over the lack of promotion and communication around the Williamstown High School girls soccer program. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

Hartshorn explained that the 70-30 split was proposed by the central office team as what they felt was best for students, based on their analysis of various factors.

“I proposed a 70-30 split, because that’s what the central office team proposed is best for students,” Hartshorn told the board. “Mr. Tice is speaking to the 45-55 which is the original plan that was passed through the school closure document. We looked at a lot of factors. We looked at low associate economic status, that’s the poverty rate. We looked at class size. We looked at special education students. We’ve looked at where the majority of the population lives. We’ve looked at proximity to the school. We’ve looked at lots of numbers.”

Hartshorn also acknowledged that the board could choose to go with a different plan.

“Everyone has a different opinion,” Hartshorn said. “I would like to think everyone feels like they’re the expert in this field. The presentation that I had for the 70-30, we took it very seriously. That’s what (we thought) would be best for the students. But that’s entirely up to you to go up or down with that plan. And if you come back to us and say, ‘I want you to look at something different’, we can.”

The board voted 4-1 to not accept the proposed lines with President Justin Raber being the only one voting yes on the matter.

Melissa Weppler, a parent and long-time soccer advocate, spoke to the Wood County Board of Education Tuesday night about girls soccer at Williamstown High School. Weppler said she has been advocating for the girls’ program since it was discontinued, making numerous calls and visits to the school, but most of her efforts have gone unanswered. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

“I have to adamantly disagree,” Raber said. “We had a recommendation and a proposal by the administration who, this is what they live and breathe, and I am quite troubled that as board members, we’re getting down in, and going and doing our own investigation and research into other possibilities when that is outside the purview of the Board of Education and its members.”

Raber also emphasized the potential negative impact on vulnerable students.

“We’re telling some students, it’s okay you don’t get the services anymore that you’ve relied on your entire academic career. And that, to me, is not doing justice to our students. You know, now we have kids from our most vulnerable population in this county, at Jefferson Elementary School, where they have an attendance person, a social worker, and going to a middle school where they’re not going to have that resource anymore, and we’re essentially telling them we don’t care. I have huge issues with that, and that’s why I voted yes for it, because I trust the administration,” he said.

The plan will now be reverted back to the school closure documents and presented to the board at the next meeting.

Williamstown Athletic Director Jill Bryant talked to the board about plans for the Williamstown High School soccer program. She said meetings on Feb. 6 with coaches, parents and current players were held with most voicing support for the co-ed soccer model.

“The parents spoke in favor of co-ed soccer, stating that they did not feel like we had the numbers to field two competitive teams,” Bryant said. “Some expressed some travel concerns that would possibly come along with separating into girls and boys, just because there’s not as many teams in this immediate area that have girls soccer.”

She said, however, the school is still in the process of recruiting more players, with a current sign-up of seven boys, with five more potentially signing up soon, and 14 girls. She said the goal is to have at least 15 players on each team if they do decide to split.

“I’m comfortable with 15,” Bryant said. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean that I think we have to have 15. If we have 14 boys and 15 girls, I don’t feel like I can say, ‘Sorry girls. We’re only at 14.'”

Melissa Weppler, a parent and long-time soccer advocate, spoke to the board saying she has been advocating for the girls program since it was discontinued, making numerous calls and visits to the school, but most of her efforts have gone unanswered. She talked about her decision to step down from the “fight.”

“I’m out. I’m done fighting,” Weppler said. “I’ve fought this for three years non-stop. My daughter has since transferred schools. I feel bad for the girls that are left behind. They’re going to be forced to play co-ed.”

Her daughter, Taylor Weppler, a student at Williamstown High School, talked about what she said was her frustration over the lack of promotion and communication around the girls’ soccer program. She said she remains determined to ensure the girls soccer program receives the attention and support she feels it deserves.

“I’m happy to play if it means that all of these girls who want to play on a girls-only soccer team will have a place to go at WHS,” Taylor Weppler said. “By telling these girls to just go to a different soccer team or just play co-ed, you’re stripping them of the experience of really being a high school athlete, being involved in your school and having pride in your school is important. And these girls will not get that and that makes me sad.”

Bryant said the school plans to hold additional meetings with students and parents in the coming weeks to further discuss the options. A final decision is expected by April 1 to allow time for scheduling and preparation before the season starts.

Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com