Duval PK‑8 reports high special‑education and homeless counts, modest academic gains at Lincoln County board meeting
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Summary
At the Dec. 16 Lincoln County Board of Education meeting, Josh Barnett presented the LSIC report for Duval PK‑8: the school reported 276 students, about 35% in special education and 36% McKinney‑Vento status, three expulsions this year and modest gains in ELA; a new building is expected next school year.
Josh Barnett, presenting the Local School Improvement Council report for Duval PK‑8, told the Lincoln County Board of Education on Dec. 16 that the school’s enrollment stood at 276 students and that the building faces unusually large support needs. "We have 96 out of 276" students receiving special‑education services, Barnett said, and he reported 99 students identified under McKinney‑Vento (doubled‑up or unstable housing), which he characterized as a high figure the school is verifying with county CIS staff.
Barnett said disciplinary numbers this year include 21 suspensions, 189 discipline referrals and three expulsions; he told the board that "all 3 expulsions were battery against school employees," and cited West Virginia Department of Education Policy 4373 as the governing policy for student discipline.
The principal described instructional interventions intended to lift achievement, including county strategies such as Corrective Reading and dedicated intervention time (40 minutes daily in K–5 and a full middle‑school intervention period focused on math), as well as 90 minutes of daily reading instruction. Barnett set measurable targets: a 5 percent growth goal in both mathematics and English language arts using I‑Ready and GSA diagnostics as progress measures.
Barnett credited support from central‑office staff, naming curriculum director Jenny Shortridge and special‑education director Mr. Miller for targeted work reviewing students’ math deficiencies and arranging a co‑taught special‑education position. He also described newly implemented programs and tools — such as a hall monitoring system (SmartPass), a math program in use this year, vape detectors and newly added playground equipment — that he said have improved school culture and reduced vaping and out‑of‑school suspensions.
Board members questioned the timeline for Duval’s new building; Barnett said the consolidated facility is expected to open in the January–February window of the next school year. President Wilson noted the board will create positions for the new Duval school on the current agenda to ensure staff roles exist before hiring.
The board did not take formal action on the LSIC report itself but moved later in the meeting to create positions for Duval and approved that personnel motion unanimously. The board is next scheduled to meet Jan. 6, 2026, at the county office in Hamlin.