Every few years an issue arises within Ohio County Schools that demands a full explanation from school administrators.

Several years ago it was a kindergarten student that walked out the front door of the Warwood School and headed for home in the middle of the day. School administrators never fully explained how that occurred.

There also was an incident years ago on a local school bus carrying a sports team back to Wheeling from a West Virginia University basketball game in Morgantown where a student alleged inappropriate sexual behavior.

Again, no explanation was given to the public.

And now, we have “The Hole.”

This week, former Wheeling Middle School principal Richard McCardle found himself in Ohio County Magistrate Court for a hearing on a felony child abuse charge for an alleged incident with a student at the school earlier this year, a case that now is bound over to the grand jury.

The courts will work through the merits of that particular allegation, but something else very troubling was learned during that hearing.

During testimony on Tuesday, it was revealed that students earning in-school suspension at Wheeling Middle School are sent to “the hole,” which is the office of Mike McLeod, Communities in Schools site director at Wheeling Middle.

“The hole?”

Is Wheeling Middle now a prison?

That’s troubling.

Ohio County Schools’ leaders must address this with the public.

Several questions immediately come to mind:

— Do principals in the county’s schools consider themselves prison wardens, and the students their subjects?

— Do principals and school disciplinarians believe using a term to shame a student is an effective strategy?

— Do county school administrators find this terminology acceptable?

— Do other principals in Ohio County send their students to “the hole” when they cause trouble?

Words matter, and using a term such as “the hole” — particularly with impressionable young students, some of whom may come from broken homes and difficult circumstances, or have self-esteem or behavioral issues — can lead to humiliation rather than accountability. Instead of working with students to reflect on their behavior and make better choices, it risks branding them as troublemakers.

That term also sends the wrong message. Schools should be places of learning, guidance and second chances, not institutions that borrow the language and culture of incarceration. The goal of in-school suspension should be to correct behavior while keeping students engaged in learning — not to create an atmosphere that mimics a jail.

Ohio County Schools owes parents and taxpayers an explanation.

— Is “the hole” an officially accepted term?

— Who coined it?

— How long has it been in use?

— Has anyone in school leadership questioned whether it reflects the values the district wants to instill in its students?

Students will get into trouble. But parents should be able to trust their children are being disciplined in an environment that reflects dignity, respect and professionalism. If “the hole” has become part of the culture at Wheeling Middle School or elsewhere, then it’s time for district leaders to explain how that happened — and more importantly, how they are ensuring it ends immediately.