CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — Regardless of where the Eastern Panhandle stands with COVID-19 this fall, Jefferson County students will have a choice of how they attend school.
During Monday night’s regular meeting, Superintendent Dr. Bondy Shay Gibson said the school system is continuously updating its technological infrastructure. Students will have the option of full virtual learning.
“It is important that the families of Jefferson County know that we have the technology and infrastructure to continue educating their children remotely if that’s what serves their families best,” Dr. Gibson said. “We will continue to follow the guidelines set forth by the CDC and DHHR. However, even should those change to allow on site education, we want our families to understand full time virtual learning will still be an option for Jefferson families to choose if that meets their needs.”
Dr. Gibson said the JCS Technology Department has received additional equipment to help fulfill the need. Board of Education member Dr. Wendy Whitehair-Lochner said exploring optional virtual learning was a priority before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were already looking at one-to-one devices, we were already looking at best practices like blended learning, so this is not a big stretch for the school system,” she said. “It [the pandemic] might have expedited it, but we are a nimble school system that has responded proactively to continue services for our students.”
Jefferson County Schools uses Google Classrooms through all grade levels.