CRAIG

WHEELING — A school district in West Virginia shouldn’t start classroom learning this school year until that county has recorded two consecutive weeks without a reported coronavirus case, according to a coalition seeking better education in the state.

“Our Students First” has released its recommendations for what they consider “a safe return to school” this fall. The group is a coalition of teachers, school personnel, parents and community partners that first formed in early 2019 to oppose the education omnibus bill before the West Virginia Legislature.

At the top of their list is a call for school districts to start schools remotely this year, with each individual county making the decision to resume in-person instruction only after a county experiences 14 consecutive days of no new cases of COVID-19.

“What it asks for is near zero cases for 14 days — or a downward trajectory of cases for 14 days — before we start in-person (education),” Ohio County Education Association President Jenny Craig said. “We would start remotely if a county has not had that drop in cases. And we are asking if learning has to be remote because it is not safe, that we invest in decisions to make distance learning more equitable than it was in the spring.”

This includes expanding broadband opportunities for students and their families, and giving teachers more training in how best to do distance learning, she said.

The report calls for making students with special needs a priority, she said. Some in-person visitation might actually be required for those with the greatest needs for speech therapy, mental health services, occupational and physical health therapy.

“We must find a way to meet their needs while still social distancing if we can’t be at school,” said Craig, who is a special education teacher at Wheeling Middle School.

“Our Students First” also is asking that once students do return to the classrooms, those rooms be equipped with proper ventilation systems. New systems being installed in Ohio County Schools exceed necessary standards, according to school officials.

The group also wants a school nurse in every building, and for students to be socially-distanced at least six feet apart in the classroom. This would likely mean smaller class sizes, according to Craig.

Different school districts also are interpreting directives from the state “in so many different ways,” and a uniform approach is needed, she said.

“Some counties are basing their plans on science, some are not,” Craig said.

The group also suggests waiving the 180-day requirement for the 2020-21 school year.

The county education associations in Ohio, Cabell, Mingo and Logan counties are partners with “Our Students First,” as are American Federation of Teachers groups in Harrison and Mingo counties.

Other partners include the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, Our Future West Virginia, Families Leading Change, the West Virginia United Caucus, and Rise Up WV.