SUMMERSVILLE, WV (WOAY)— The West Virginia Department of Education has taken control of Nicholas County Schools after a special circumstances review found district-wide allegations of misconduct and an unsafe learning environment.
From missing background checks to unqualified staff to questionable promotions. Even files were allegedly destroyed by a departing former personnel director.
The WVBE promptly terminated Superintendent Terrance Beam and Assistant Superintendent Kelli Whytsell. Former Fayette County Superintendent Terry George will fill in as the state determines its next move.
It all started when the registered sex offender grandson of the now-former superintendent revealed a prohibiting child erotica conviction on his application. Yet the district still hired Devin Amick on a 40-day contract as a summer custodian from June 2024 to March 2025.
WOAY continues to track recent developments with this story, including what the BOE said about Amick at that high-stakes meeting.
“The individual began working before his background check results were received,” said West Virginia Division of Education Office of Accountability Director Alexandra Criner. The Board of Education approved the individual pending background check, although his background check had already been completed and reviewed.”
After learning about Amick, some central office staff attended Title IX investigation training to equip them with the knowledge needed to conduct thorough, impartial, and compliant trauma-informed investigations.
“But clear protocols and expectations for the process have not been sufficiently communicated to school administrators, teachers, and students,” Criner said.
She said additional engagement from the West Virginia Board of Education is necessary to support Nicholas County school administrators going forward.
“This includes, but is not limited to, guidance in navigating messaging, community relations, clear protocols for addressing both substantiated and unsubstantiated allegations of student misbehavior and the frequent collaborative monitoring of discipline data. That concludes the report of Nicholas County Schools.”
WVBE President Nancy White says Nicholas County BOE failed to act on a statutory obligation limited in areas that compromise the delivery of a thorough and efficient education to its students.
“As designated by the WVBE by rule, which may include but is not limited to delegating decision-making authority regarding these matters to the state superintendent or her designee,” said White.
White thanked Criner and her team for their high-quality investigative reports on what she called truly distressing situations.
“There’s a lot to unpack. I look at adults and like to think we choose to do the right things, and we know what the right things are,” White said. “I think what we have here is, in many cases, a failure to live up to that.”
