Jefferson County Schools

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - When the transportation coordinator for Jefferson County Schools was charged Feb. 12 with driving under the influence, a preliminary breath test showed him having a blood-alcohol level of .159 percent, nearly double the allowable limit of .08 percent, a prosecutor said Tuesday. "That's a very high reading. I've never seen someone blow that high on a preliminary breath test," Jefferson County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Hassan Rasheed said after a hearing in Jefferson County Magistrate Court for Robert Michael Boylan of Martinsburg, W.Va.

Jefferson County Schools officials say the ninth-grade complex was to dismiss classes at noon today because a water sprinkler broke and caused flooding.

EASTERN PANHANDLE, W.Va.-- The state School Building Authority awarded $16.4 million to the Berkeley and Jefferson county public school systems Monday to help them construct new schools, officials said. The authority awarded $10 million to Berkeley County Schools for a new primary school in Spring Mills, Superintendent Manny P. Arvon said Monday afternoon. Jefferson County was awarded $6.4 million to build a new elementary school near the Breckenridge subdivision north of Charles Town, W.Va.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. -- The Jefferson County Schools transportation coordinator who was charged Feb. 12 with driving under the influence told a magistrate Monday that the last alcoholic drink he had was in February. Robert Michael Boylan Jr., of Martinsburg, was asked by Jefferson County Magistrate Gail Boober when he last had alcohol. Harley O. Wagner, Boylan's attorney, said after the hearing that his defendant's last drink was on the night he was charged. After the hearing, Wagner said he has had some plea negotiations with the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney's Office regarding the case.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Jefferson County Schools officials said Tuesday they might hold off on selecting a replacement for former Jefferson County Schools Superintendent R. Steven Nichols. Nichols accepted a superintendent job in Staunton, Va., and his last day in Jefferson County was June 30, school officials said. Susan K. Wall, who has worked as the principal of Jefferson High School and associate superintendent of schools in the county, has been named interim superintendent of schools.

Click here to view more photos. CHARLES TOWN, W.VA. - There was a mix of high emotions and heroism Tuesday morning when a Jefferson County Schools bus filled with children caught fire as the driver was completing a run along Daniel Road north of Charles Town. Bus driver Billie Jo Elliott was praised for her quick thinking to get the children off the bus, as was a school bus mechanic who boarded the burning bus to make sure no one was still on it. After students were evacuated, Richard Bussard put a rag over his mouth, crawled along the floor of the bus and shouted for any remaining children inside, said Robert Boylan, coordinator of transportation for Jefferson County Schools.

CHARLES TOWN, W.VA. - Jefferson County Schools is expected to receive about $1.5 million annually from table games if they are approved, but the school system will eventually rake in another $3 million a year from an increase in the track's property tax bill if the games are approved, Charles Town Races & Slots officials said Wednesday. John Finamore, senior vice president of regional operations for Penn National Gaming Inc., which owns Charles Town Races & Slots, said the school system would benefit from an increase in the track's tax bill because of $200 million in improvements that are planned for the track as part of table games.

The issue: Jefferson County Schools officials say they need to build two more elementary schools because of increasing enrollment and the number of portable classrooms at the county's eight elementary schools. What's new: School officials say they should be able to pay for construction of two schools with state funds, school impact fees collected in Jefferson County and gambling revenues if Jefferson County voters approve casino table games for Charles Town Races & Slots.

Schools in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia are operating on two-hour delays this morning because of the cold weather, school officials reported Sunday. Public school students in Morgan, Berkeley and Jefferson counties are being asked to report two hours later today as temperatures are expected to remain below freezing. Jefferson County Schools are operating on a two-hour delay through Wednesday due to "extremely low morning temperatures," according to the school district's Web site.