WHEELING, W.Va. -- Chesapeake Energy is proposing a natural gas well about 1,300 feet from a high school in Wheeling.

Ohio County school officials have filed objections to the well planned near Wheeling Park High School with state environmental officials. They cite the possibility of an explosion, a spill, and other threats.

In an interview with The Intelligencer, Board of Education President Erik Schramm said school officials have a duty to ensure that development near the school is done responsibly and safely. He says the proposed natural gas well is not safe for a "myriad of reasons.''

Ohio County Schools would get no lease money or royalty payments for the gas Chesapeake would draw from the land near the high school because it has no lease agreement with the energy company.