ADAMS TWP — There will be no shale gas drilling under any of the five schools in the Mars School District.

The school board members on Tuesday night were loudly cheered by more than 200 concerned residents and parents who were packed into the Mars Primary Center's cafeteria, where the unanimous vote to reject Rex Energy's $1 million gas lease offer was cast.

Along with the primary center, the other school buildings are the high school, middle school, elementary school and Centennial School.

Rex representatives last week offered Mars $690,000 to lease 172 acres of district land for horizontal gas drilling, known as a nonsurface lease, and more than $331,000 in up-front royalty payments.

Rex is currently seeking a permit to place a well site on property on Denny Road, which is about a mile away from the schools. The property is owned by former school board president Kim Geyer.

Many of those who attended the meeting spent the half-hour preceding the meeting in the parking lot, where they held bright, homemade anti-drilling and fracking signs to encourage the board's rejection of the lease.

Once inside, board President Dayle Ferguson made the announcement that most in the room waited to hear.

“The board is prepared to reject the proposal from Rex Energy,” Ferguson said.

Those seated at the cafeteria tables leaped to their feet, applauding, cheering and whistling.

Ferguson then offered a public comment period, which most who spoke used to thank the board or encourage the community to fight the permit for the Geyer well.

Some parents shared their concerns regarding the safety of the schools with a working well less than a mile away from some school properties, especially given the recent fatal well explosion in Greene County.

Ferguson said Adams Township Board of Supervisors President Donald Aiken sent the school board a letter stating that the township is committed to working with local fire, police and emergency medical services personnel to develop a contingency plan should the Geyer well go forward.

Superintendent Jim Budzilek said the district's safety manual will change as needed with the shifting landscape.

“If this well does go in, the district will work with local officials and the state to make sure a plan is up to date and the best for our students,” Budzilek said.

Before the vote was taken, several school board members shared their thoughts and reasoning for rejecting Rex Energy's proposal.

Christine Valenta said while she is not against hydraulic fracking, she could not in good conscience vote to approve horizontal drilling under the school property.

“I do not believe enough is known about the long-term environmental and health effects of this activity to allow (it) to occur in a residential area,” Valenta said.

John Kennedy said while the board could reject drilling under school property, it has no input in or control over the placement of wells near the schools.

“The risk is still going to be there,” Kennedy said. “We can't get around that.”

Board Vice President Rebecca Brown said she would have voted in favor of the lease last week, but a long week of researching, considering options, and asking questions changed her mind.

“I had to hit the pause button and rethink my position at this point in time,” Brown said.

Rita Dorsch thanked the residents for all their comments, whether at a meeting, through e-mail or letter, or in person.

“(The comments) have been well thought-out, so that everyone who cared to could share their feelings with the board,” Dorsch said.

District solicitor Tom King told the crowd that the district spent a great deal of time considering the matter.

King said behind the scenes, the board consulted with multiple attorneys, contacted the district's bond attorney to determine whether the lease would impact the district's future ability to borrow, studied the gas and oil ownership of all nine district properties included in the lease, asked the state Department of Labor and Industry for an opinion regarding pollutants and toxins associated with horizontal drilling, asked Rex Energy for a list of all chemicals they would be using during the drilling and fracking process, and considered all community input both for and against leasing.

“The time and study the board members put in probably isn't visible,” King said. “They went about it quietly, professionally and in the right way.”

About a dozen teachers dressed in white for the meeting, which showed their solidarity against the lease.

Teacher Chris Petrini told the board she appreciated that they and King shared the reasons the lease was rejected.

“That's very reassuring,” Petrini said. “It was great to hear all the things you took into consideration in making such a difficult decision.”