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Parents press Preston County Board for clearer emergency notices; board confirms official mailing address
Summary
Public commenters asked for faster, more consistent district communications after a water outage and raised concerns about a privately funded PO box. The superintendent said automated calls were sent with delay, outlined remedies and confirmed the board office mailing address for official correspondence.
At the Preston County Board of Education meeting on June 8, parents pressed the district for clearer and timelier notifications during unexpected events after a May 18 water outage left Bruce school without water.
Amanda Alexander told the board she learned about the outage from social media and other parents rather than directly from the school system and asked the district to review notification procedures so parents receive "timely, accurate information" during emergencies. She also said she purchased a personal PO box, paid for with her own funds, to allow anonymous or reluctant community members another channel to raise concerns, while stressing it was not intended to replace official reporting or the Open Meetings Act.
Superintendent Bradley Martin said the district did send messaging through its automated system and social media but acknowledged a delay in delivery, and that staff delivered about 600 bottles of water to the school during the outage. "I think we need to try to overcommunicate as much as possible and certainly will work in emergency situations to be very timely," he said. Martin said he had forwarded information about the PO box to legal counsel and suggested the board establish a monitored mailbox at the board office and add a mailed-correspondence note to the district website (731 Preston Drive, Kingwood, WV 26537).
Thaad Marsh, another public commenter, warned that a privately controlled mailbox that bypasses the full board could create liability and confusion, especially for urgent child-welfare matters. He urged an official public statement identifying the sanctioned communication channels. The board agreed to add the board-office postal address to the website and to consider a monitored district mailbox.
No formal policy or legal action was taken at the meeting; board members asked administration to follow up with legal counsel and to publish clear guidance on approved communication channels.
