The booking was made through the standard volunteer portal. The occupation listed was ‘night procurement specialist.’ No one checked until Tuesday.
The name placard remained on the table for approximately four hours after the event was cancelled. Facilities staff declined to remove it until the DCA confirmed it was not evidence. It is now evidence.
HARLAN’S CREEK, WV — Career Day at Harlan’s Creek Elementary School has been cancelled for the second time this academic year following the discovery that one of nineteen registered guest speakers was not, in the professional sense of the term, a specialist in night procurement. The individual, who registered under the name Rick Shaza, is described by the Department of Cryptid Affairs as a Class IV Rakshasa operating without a current civic engagement permit. The DCA has confirmed the permit lapsed in March. It has not confirmed what, specifically, was going to be procured.
Principal Vonda Tackett addressed parents in a letter distributed Wednesday morning, noting that the booking had been completed through the school district’s standard volunteer portal and that the registration had passed all automated screening steps without incident. The portal does not currently screen for Class IV entities. The district has been advised it may wish to update this. A timeline for the update has not been provided.
The system flagged him as available, enthusiastic, and within a twenty-mile radius. We have no reason to believe that information was inaccurate.
— Principal Vonda Tackett, Harlan’s Creek Elementary
According to Principal Tackett, no member of staff questioned the listed occupation until a parent forwarded the volunteer confirmation email to the WTC tip line late Monday evening. A cross-reference with DCA records identified the registrant within the hour. The DCA was notified at 11:48 p.m. A field team was dispatched at 7:15 a.m. the following morning. Career Day was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. The gap between these two facts is noted for the record.
⚠️
FIELD ALERT
DCA field teams arrived on site at 7:15 a.m. The registration table had already been set up. Rick Shaza’s placard was laminated. Authorities describe the lamination as ‘thorough.’ The individual was not located on school grounds. The placard has been retained as evidence. Parents are asked not to inquire about the other eighteen speakers, all of whom have been asked to resubmit documentation. Seventeen have responded. Two have not.
The Portal Did Not Ask Follow-Up Questions
The Harlan’s Creek School District volunteer portal, introduced in 2021 as part of a community engagement initiative, requires registrants to supply a name, a listed occupation, a brief description of their planned presentation, and confirmation that they are not currently subject to a restraining order issued by a school, school board, or affiliated educational body. Rick Shaza answered all four fields. His presentation description read: ‘An interactive session on identifying opportunity in unexpected places, with emphasis on the importance of working after hours.’ The DCA has described this as ‘technically accurate and also a concern.’
The restraining order question only covers schools and affiliated educational bodies. A Career Day gymnasium is, legally, a grey area. We are looking into it.
— Arthur Pritchard, DCA Spokesperson
FAST FACTS
• 19 guest speakers registered for Career Day
• Rick Shaza was assigned the 10:15 a.m. slot — third grade
• The DCA permit for civic engagement lapsed March 14
• ‘Night procurement specialist’ is not a recognised occupational category under DCA Form 7-C
• The laminated placard measured 4 inches by 6 inches and was described by investigators as ‘professionally done’
• Career Day has now been cancelled twice this academic year — the first cancellation in September is not discussed
DCA Spokesperson Arthur Pritchard confirmed in a statement Wednesday afternoon that the agency is treating the incident as an unauthorised civic engagement event rather than an active procurement situation, noting that no procurement appeared to have taken place. He added that the DCA considers this outcome positive. He declined to specify what outcome he had been preparing for. He did not take questions.
The Other Eighteen Speakers
Of the remaining eighteen registered volunteers, seventeen have resubmitted documentation as requested. The district has confirmed that all seventeen are human, retired, and, in the words of one administrative assistant, ‘extremely normal, which at this point is a relief.’ The two non-responding registrants are listed in district records as a dental hygienist from Beckley and a representative from the West Virginia Small Business Bureau. Neither has been reached for comment. The DCA has been notified of both. A second field team has been dispatched. Its current status is also unclear.
Career Day has been rescheduled for a date the district describes as ‘to be confirmed pending DCA clearance.’ Principal Tackett expressed confidence that the revised event would proceed without incident. She asked that parents continue to consider volunteering, noting that the school values community participation and that the portal has now been updated to include a field for DCA registration number. The field is optional. The district is reviewing whether to make it mandatory. The review timeline has not been provided. This is Hal Ridgeway. Authorities continue to urge caution. Reporting continues.
haroldridgeway@whatthecryptid.com Harold “Hal” Ridgeway · Lead Anchor — WTC Facebook
