Board President Rick Snuffer said Blankenship called him to talk about how to handle the situation surrounding the school, which is located near a Massy-owned coal silo and slurry pond.

"We talked about Massey's responsibilities and what they might like to do," Snuffer said. "There was no commitment of any kind of funding. In the past (Massey) has done some in-kind services site prep; which if we got a new school, that would be a significant contribution if they were able to do that."

On Oct. 7, West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., blasted Massey for what he called the company's refusal to help the Raleigh County Board of Education replace Marsh Fork Elementary School.

Snuffer said he apologized to Blankenship because he thought the talk about replacing the school had been blown out of proportion.

Later on Oct. 7, Massey issued a statement that said Sen. Byrd should have asked the company about their position on replacing Marsh Fork Elementary.