Tag: School

W.Va. Schools Receive Nearly $6 Million In Safety Funding

West Virginia schools are set to receive $5.7 million in grant money from the U.S. Department of Education to help keep them safe and supportive for students.

West Virginia public schools are set to receive $5.7 million in grant money from the U.S. Department of Education to help keep them safe and supportive for students.

The money comes from the federal Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that Congress passed in June. The legislation closed loopholes in gun safety laws and promoted access to mental health services. It also assigns funding to help support school safety through the Stronger Connections grant program.

In a statement, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said supporting school safety “improves academic achievement, promotes emotional well-being, reduces disciplinary actions, and increases positive behaviors.”

The money is set to go to state educational agencies, which will then award funding to local school systems based on their current needs. Cardona made suggestions on how the funding be used in a public letter to state school officers.

His suggestions include support for underserved students and student mental health, as well as ways to get communities engaged on how to best make schools safer and more inclusive.

Cardona also suggested the funds specifically go toward local agencies in areas that have high rates of poverty and have dealt with issues like:

  • A high student-to-mental health professional ratio
  • High rates of chronic absenteeism, exclusionary discipline like suspension or expulsion, bullying and harassment, community and school violence, or substance use
  • A recent experience with a natural disaster or traumatic event

This also comes after Cardona visited West Virginia University and spoke with student leaders about mental health earlier this month.

Bill Keeping Homeless People Away From Schools, Daycares Sparks Concerns

In a public hearing on House Bill 4753, which would ban homeless encampments within 1,000 feet of schools and daycare centers,18 people spoke against the bill and five supported the measure.

Maribeth Beller said the bill implies that people experiencing homelessness are dangerous and are pedophiles. She said many people who are homeless are veterans and trauma victims.

“What we do know is that many of the homeless have suffered from economic fluctuations, and what differs them from you and me is that we had help,” Beller said.

Among the many clergy speaking against the bill was Charleston pastor Bill Myers, who said he sees every day that caring for the homeless and children go hand in hand, without incident.

“On Friday, 20 children on the church steps were waiting to be picked up, and probably a half dozen homeless there as well,” Myers said. “There were no concerns, no issues.”

Of those for the bill, Charleston resident John Holland said there was alarm in finding that a neighborhood church was planning to put a homeless shelter 100 feet from a daycare center.

“Teachers are saying homeless people are already wandering in, they say they are finding needles on the playground,” Holland said. “Teachers told me they are having altercations with the homeless showing up on the day that no showers were available.”

The bill sponsor, House Minority Leader Doug Skaff, D-Kanawha, said there’s a blanket misconception, even among many in his own party, that restrictions for those who are unhoused aren’t compassionate. Skaff said the problem is statewide, not charleston centric, that there’s no jailing involved, and that this safeguard is not for your typical homeless person, and he said that we can do both.

“These are the unsheltered, mentally unstable and we need to help them,” Skaff said. “In addition we also owe it to keep our kids and schools safe, and if we can do both, why not do both?”

HB 4753 is on its second reading in the house.

New Substance Abuse Prevention Program Announced For Schools

A pilot program to prevent drug abuse will begin at three West Virginia schools next fall, officials said.

Gov. Jim Justice and the board of West Virginia Game Changers, public-private coalition designed to educate and empower youth, announced Tuesday that the initiative will start at three schools in Harrison County, The Exponent Telegram reported.

“The program is the first of its kind and results from a service agreement between West Virginia Game Changers and the world-renowned Hazleton Betty Ford Foundation,” Justice said.

The program will take a new approach to substance abuse prevention, officials said.

“The Game Changers approach is a prevention programming that is different from ‘just say no’ campaigns and scare tactics because it harnesses real life skills known to be effective by keeping children and teens healthy, helping them choose not to use substances and to get help early if they need it,” said Desirae Vasquez, with Hazleton Betty Ford Foundation.

While the program will start in three schools, the goal is to eventually expand it into others said Dora Stutler, Harrison County Schools superintendent.

W.Va. Prepares Vaccination Plans For Kids 12-15 In Anticipation Of Pfizer Approval

Youth in West Virginia ages 12-15 may soon have access to the Pfizer vaccine. The company is waiting on the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve the use of its vaccine in this age group.

State and local health officials are on stand-by to make sure kids can get the vaccine as soon as possible, following authorization. The West Virginia Department of Education has already brought vaccine clinics to most high schools in the state, hoping to target students ages 16-18.

West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Clayton Burch said in a press conference earlier this week that schools will keep up the same momentum for younger kids.

“We will ensure that there is a partnership and a way to make sure that any child, hopefully soon, down to 12 years old, will have the opportunity to have the vaccination,” Burch said.

He also encouraged other organizations in the state to get involved. “We welcome all partners that are doing testing and vaccinations; we are now open, we want it to be for all.”

The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department announced Wednesday that it’s working on preparations for a COVID-19 vaccination plan for kids in Kanawha County.

The health department said it would be ready to enter schools as early as next week, and it will also provide shots at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center as early as Saturday, May 15 and at other sites for students.

“We continue to see a significant portion of our COVID-19 cases in young people, so vaccinating those ages 12 through 15 should cut down on disease spread in the county,” said Dr. Sherri Young, health officer and executive director of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, in a press release. “We will be ready to go once the FDA gives the green light.”

Pfizer previously reported clinical trials showing its vaccine provides “100 percent efficacy and robust antibody responses” in the 12-15 age group.

All W.Va. Counties Now Offer Some In-Person Instruction As Teacher Unions Prepare For Legal Fight

The last county school systems in West Virginia that did not implement in-person instruction have accepted a mandate passed by the state Board of Education.

The ruling requires some in-person instruction for grades K-8 regardless of the color on the state’s COVID-19 risk map.

All 55 county school systems are now offering some in-person classes. In some places, school might be held in brick-and-mortar buildings a full five days a week, but in others, some have shortened days, and some are blended — alternating between in-person and remote throughout the week.

Fully remote learning is no longer permitted for students in kindergarten through middle school, and high schools are only allowed to be remote when a county is red on the state’s coronavirus map.

Gilmer, Taylor and Marion counties were the last to follow the state’s mandate. The week began with seven counties opting to stay fully remote.

On Thursday, Gilmer and Taylor county boards of education held emergency meetings to reconsider the state BOE’s ruling, and on Friday, Marion County did the same.

Marion County Superintendent Randall Farley had recommended a return to full, in-person instruction following the state board’s ruling on Jan. 13, but the Marion school board opted to keep all students remote whenever a county is orange or red, which is what the state followed in the fall.

Farley urged board members once again on Friday to follow the state’s recommendation for the spring.

“The second semester registration shows that 69 percent [of families] are choosing the in-person learning option, and 31 percent are choosing a virtual or distance learning option,” Farley said. “Those percentages have remained consistent and constant throughout all offerings of in-person learning — from the get go.”

Some board members, while agreeing students should be in school and ultimately voted in favor of that, said they felt “strong-armed” by the state board. Superintendent Clayton Burch argued against their characterization.

“I wouldn’t call it strong-arming,” Burch said. “I would call it following the [state] constitution and advocating for children’s rights, and that right is the ability to have an in-person instruction [option].”

Gov. Jim Justice said during a press briefing Thursday that he wants children to return to school to offset learning loss and protect students’ social-emotional health. Health officials say the spread of COVID-19 among children age 15 and younger is minimal.

Meanwhile, West Virginia’s two largest teacher unions, the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia chapter and the West Virginia Education Association, are asking judges to halt or slow down the governor’s push to reopen more classrooms during the pandemic. They are demanding that education workers be given the second dose of the coronavirus vaccine before being forced to return to in-person learning.

“We don’t know everything there is to know about COVID-19 at this point,” said Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association in Friday’s meeting with the Marion County Board of Education. “Why would you put the safety of your educators, your students and everyone’s family at risk?”

Other union members said it was “ludicrous” to think that COVID-19 wasn’t spreading in K-8. They also pointed to the new strain of the virus that has turned up in certain states. Health experts say the new strain, while not more deadly than the original strain of COVID-19, is at least 50 percent more contagious.

By the end of the meeting, however, board members voted to concur with the state school board’s mandate.

Virtual schooling is still available to all 55 counties and all grade levels. Virtual is different from remote, especially at the local level, according to the West Virginia Department of Education, in that virtual often mirrors a real classroom held over video conference with a local teacher. But this is not true for the state’s virtual option, West Virginia Virtual School, which is asynchronous and with teachers from out-of-state.

Some local teachers have argued to keep remote learning, because they have adapted their remote model to mirror that of a virtual option, where they provide instruction in real time over Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

Starting Monday, Jan. 25, all 55 counties will be back to some form of in-person schooling.

All schools, both public and private, are required to follow COVID-19 mitigation efforts, such as mask-wearing, hand-washing and social distancing.

Four W.Va. Counties Will Be Remote, Virtual School This Week

The West Virginia Department of Education announced that four counties will be remote learning-only for the week of Oct. 11. State officials rolled out updated data Saturday, Oct. 10 at 5 p.m.

Doddridge, Harrison, Mingo and Upshur counties, which were in the orange zone on the state’s color-coded map, will not be open for in-person instruction this week.

No counties were in the red category, but other counties shifted in their color zones.

They included:

  • Boone County moved from gold to yellow using the percent positivity rate which is less than 4 percent over 7-days due to data validation and removing duplicate cases.
  • Cabell County moved from orange to gold as the percent positivity is less than 5 percent over a 7-day period due to data validation and updating five cases with the correct county of residence.
  • Logan County moved from orange to yellow using the percent positivity rate which is less than 4 percent over 7-days due to data validation and updating 14 cases with the correct county of residence.
  • Upshur County moved from gold to orange as the percent positivity is greater than 5 percent over 7-days due to four probable cases updated to confirmed status and one case added during the time period.
  • Wayne County moved from green to yellow using the percent positivity rate which is greater than 3 percent over 7-days due to data validation and three updates to county of residence.

Red (Substantial Community Transmission): Remote-only learning mode. No extracurricular competitions or practices are permitted. Staff may report to their schools, as determined by the county. Essential support services, including special education and meals, will continue. Counties in red include: None

Orange (Heightened Community Transmission): Remote-only learning mode. Extracurricular practices may occur, however, competitions may not. Staff may report to their schools, as determined by the county. Essential support services, including special education and meals, will continue. Counties in orange include: Doddridge, Harrison, Mingo, Upshur

Gold (Elevated Community Transmission): In-person instruction is permitted with restrictions including face coverings at all times for grades 3-12. Extracurricular activities are permitted and competitions can take place against schools within the same county as well as schools in other gold counties. Counties in gold include: Barbour, Berkeley, Cabell, Jackson, Kanawha, Putnam, Randolph

Yellow (Increased Community Transmission): School may be held for in-person instruction. Extracurricular practices and competitions may occur. Health and safety precautions include, at a minimum, face coverings at all times for grades six and above. Please refer to your county for specific face covering requirements. Counties in yellow include: Boone, Logan, Morgan, Nicholas, Wayne, Wirt

Green (Minimal Community Transmission): School may be held for in-person instruction. Extracurricular practices and competitions may occur. Health and safety precautions include, at a minimum, face coverings in grades three and above when students are outside of core groups and in congregant settings and on school buses. Please refer to your county for specific face covering requirements. Counties in green include: Braxton, Brooke, Calhoun, Clay, Fayette, Gilmer, Grant, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Jefferson, Lewis, Lincoln, Marion, Marshall, Mason, McDowell, Mercer, Mineral, Monongalia, Monroe, Ohio, Pendleton, Pleasants, Pocahontas, Preston, Raleigh, Ritchie, Roane, Summers, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Webster, Wetzel, Wood, Wyoming

All schools, both public and private, are expected to adhere to the WVDE’s re-entry map to guide in-person instruction and extracurricular activities.

Updates to the map are announced each Saturday at 5 p.m. and will be in effect until the following Saturday at the same time, according to the WVDE. The only exception would be if a county turns red during the week.

If this happens, the change would be made immediately to the map, according to the WVDE, and all in-person instruction and extracurricular and athletic activities would be suspended.

As of Saturday morning, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reports 17,913 total cases of the virus and 381 deaths. 4,446 cases are considered active, according to DHHR.

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