Gilmer County Schools board accepts coach resignation, ratifies unpaid suspension and termination after executive session

The Gilmer County Schools Board of Education on Wednesday accepted the resignation of Ben Huffman as head varsity girls track coach and, after holding an executive session, ratified an unpaid suspension and termination for employee Jennifer Harper.

The meeting opened at 5 p.m. with a roll call that identified Mister Barton, Mister Fresh Air, Doctor Miller, Mister Chapman and Doctor Minnie as present. The board first addressed personnel business and the chair read an item describing Huffman’s resignation.

A board member who had been addressed in roll call as "Doctor Minnie" recommended making a motion to accept Ben Huffman’s resignation. The chair moved and the motion was seconded; the board conducted a voice vote and the chair announced the motion carried.

Later on the personnel docket the board posed to Jennifer Harper the option of an open or closed hearing and moved into a closed executive session to discuss personnel matters under West Virginia Code 6-9A-4-2, the statute the board member cited when making the motion to go into executive session.

After the board returned to open session, the person who had spoken earlier and who was introduced in roll call as "Doctor Minnie" spoke in the capacity of superintendent and said: "I recommend, to the board of education to ratify Jennifer Harper's unpaid suspension and to terminate all contracts of employment and take on a 0 tolerance stance toward, not reporting alleged ****** abuse in Gilmer County Schools." A board member moved to accept the superintendent’s recommendation, the chair seconded, and the board carried the motion by voice vote with no opposition announced.

The board then moved to adjourn and ended the meeting.

What the board did and what remains open: The board formally accepted a coach’s resignation and approved a suspension and termination recommendation for an employee. The transcript contains a redaction in the superintendent’s comment (represented as "******") and does not record detailed findings or any formal disciplinary hearing transcript in open session; the board’s actions reflect administrative determinations and do not, in themselves, represent a criminal finding. The West Virginia code citation invoked for the executive session was 6-9A-4-2; the record indicates the board used that statutory authority to hold a closed personnel discussion.

Next steps noted at the meeting: no further detail on appeals, investigation outcomes, or effective dates for the termination were provided on the record during the open session. The board adjourned following the personnel actions.