Trainer warns Harrison County board to follow law as recent West Virginia school bills reshape duties and rules

Howard, a presenter from the School Board Association, spent the meeting’s substantive portion briefing the Harrison County Schools board on the legal risks of board members acting outside formal meetings and summarizing recent West Virginia legislation that changes training, discipline, safety and other school rules.

Howard opened by warning of real consequences if boards or individual members stray from law or policy: “If you make some decision as a board and it violates the open meetings law and somebody goes to court, the law says the judge can erase what you did,” he said, describing court rescission and budgetary fallout as a possible outcome. He cited recent state interventions in Tyler, Mingo, Nicholas and Logan counties as examples the board should study.

The presentation’s central point was governance limits and personal liability: board members “individually have no authority of any kind in connection with the schools except for the president,” Howard said, and he repeatedly urged members to direct requests to the superintendent rather than instruct employees directly. He warned that individual investigations or off‑the‑record conversations about personnel or students can compromise due‑process hearings and lead courts to set aside board actions.

Why it matters: Howard said improper individual action can cause legal, financial and reputational harm to the district and to individual board members. He described types of legal exposure including court-ordered reversal of board actions, monetary…