CHARLESTON, W.Va (WCHS) — Boone County was a big topic at the West Virginia Department of Education meeting on Wednesday due to a special circumstances report coming from the Office of Accountability.

The department took over Boone County schools and fired the superintendent and assistant superintendent.

"My recommendation is that we declare extraordinary circumstances exist in Boone County Schools that warrant immediate intervention," West Virginia Department of Education Superintendent, Michele Blatt said.

Alleged nepotism, lack of confidentiality, misused funds, along with a number of other issues were outlined in the special circumstance report on the district.

"We started with some of the information that was presented to us back in December of 2023. Then once we were given the clear that the criminal investigation had been completed, we went in and talked with central office staff and board members," Alexandra Criner, director of the office of accountability said.

This all coming after former Boone County Schools maintenance supervisor Michael David Barker was involved in a $3.4 million fraud case which took place over the span of four years.

In April, Barker pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud after prosecutors said he falsified documents leading to the school system being defrauded.

"The background for that was the initial criminal investigation resulting from the kickback scheme that was perpetrated during 2023 and before that with federal funds," Criner said.

Prosecutors said Barker made orders for different supplies like hand soap, trash bags, hand sanitizer and face masks. This all being done alongside co-conspirator Jesse Marks' company, Rush Enterprises.

"We had some financial concerns, mostly with the documentation and the paperwork that was submitted. That testing is still ongoing for the financial piece," Criner said.

The report also indicates evaluations for staff other than teachers are inconsistent and fundraising is not actively monitored, leaving questions as to how much money has been made and where that money has gone.

"It does take a while to go through all of those documents and to make sure that everything is audited correctly. But we did have some financial findings and some findings related to county board of education member effectiveness and the central office leadership," she said.

Based on comments made during the interviews conducted it was found that a review of of discipline practices is needed to determine if student disciplinary protocols are followed correctly.

"A positive outcome for intervention is that there's going to be prioritized support to help identify any additional issues and to make sure that policy and code are followed with fidelity," she said.

She said there is still more work to be done to find any additional issues and to implement any other necessary support.