Gov. Jim Justice introduced a color-coded measurement system meant to show whether it’s safe for schools to be open — and for sports to be played.
“There’s no state that we know of that has a rating system that is similar to what we propose to do,” Justice said today.
Coronavirus response coordinator Clay Marsh said, “this is a very safe and innovative approach.”
MORE The system is described here.
Justice said the state would use a 7-day rolling cumulative positive number. The system uses a percent determined by the number of cases per 100,000 people.
“Each county in our state will receive a code — green, yellow, orange or red code that will change daily,” he said.
Cases from 0 to 7 per 100,000 equals green, 8 to 15 is yellow, 16 to 24 is the orange zone, and if you exceed 25 is red.
Red triggers distance learning only.
“If we go red in any county, that county will automatically go 100 percent virtual,” Justice said.
That would suspend in-person instruction and all school-related activities until yellow level is maintained on a seven-day rolling basis.
Under red, staff would continue essential student support services including meals, student engagement and special education services.
School systems will know definitively where they stand at 9 p.m. Saturdays when the system locks into place with a determination for the week.
Right now, Justice said Logan County would be considered red with Mingo and Grant counties orange.
But he said he wants to give all counties time to improve their condition before school starts.
On the target return date of Sept. 8, all counties identified as green and yellow may begin in-person instruction and may maintain their status as long as levels remain steady.
Counties with orange or red levels would not be permitted to open to in-person instruction until yellow or green levels are reached on a seven-day rolling basis.
After opening, if a county bumps up to orange, it may continue to operate but with heightened precautions.
“It’s been complicated, I know,” Justice said.
Justice’s plan also takes into account outbreaks at congregate settings such as nursing homes or correctional facilities. He said those outbreaks would be counted as single units for the purpose of the metric. Positive cases among staff members would be divided by two for the calculation “to not become biased or not become skewed.”
“I know it’s a little complicated, but we’ve tried to make it completely transparent,” Justice said.
The governor has said he wants to return to classrooms while assuring the health of students, teachers and staff.
For a couple of weeks, Justice has described a color-coded map that would depict whether the level of virus spreading in counties would allow school to remain open. But the factors to determine whether a community’s status is red, orange, yellow or green had not yet been revealed until today.
School systems around the state have been producing plans for students to return at a target date Sept. 8. Most have been offering options to families, who must choose.
West Virginia Education Association President Dale Lee, citing a survey of teachers union members, said most do not feel comfortable returning to classrooms yet.
“There’s just many concerns about being able to follow all the CDC guidelines, the social distancing, they need a smaller class size in place, they ability of all students to wear a mask,” Lee said on MetroNews “Talkline” today.
“A large percentage of our members felt more comfortable starting in a virtual mode and getting these things taken care of.”
The WVEA has pointed toward decisions being handled at the local level. Counties across the state have prepared their own reentry plans.
“But let me say this and be clear, we’re going to support our members and our counties in any decision they make,” Lee said today.
We have had several counties who have worked with their superintendents and their administration to come up with a plan that they feel comfortable with, and if our members feel safe and comfortable with the plan and are comfortable with going back in person on some type of level, either a hybrid level or something like that, we’re going to support them in that too.”
.@WVEADaleLee talks to @DaveWilsonMN about reopening of schools. WATCH: https://t.co/wkudfIRZCB pic.twitter.com/U7luRnkbEF
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) August 14, 2020