Jacqueline Shriner, a 61-year-old teacher at Wheeling Park High School wrote that she doesn’t want to be another one of the great West Virginians that Gov. Jim Justice pays tribute to on his coronavirus updates.
Those are the people who have died of the virus.
“You see, my doctors (three of them to be exact) have told me that if I were to get the virus my chances of survival would be quite slim,” she wrote in a letter to the West Virginia Board of Education. That’s because of diabetes, chronic asthma and a low white blood cell count caused by medication for an autoimmune disorder.
“I am scared because I want to live.”
Her plea was one of dozens of comments sent this month to the state school board as West Virginia navigates a complicated return to school during the coronavirus pandemic.
The state school board normally has delegations of citizens who speak about a variety of education issues. But right now, the board’s meetings are closed to the public and delegations must submit their comments in writing.
During the most recent meeting, the board received so many written submissions that they weren’t read aloud but instead were observed with something resembling a moment of silence.
“We would like to thank you all for sending your letters,” board President Miller Hall said over streaming audio.
What the board had was more than 250 pages of comments describing various concerns about the start of the new school year, particularly the safety of returning to classrooms or, in some instances, the drawbacks of not going back.
In comparison, last month there were three delegation submissions.
All of the current comments were submitted prior to the state’s rollout of a color-coded map to show how the spread of coronavirus is affecting each county in the state. The map triggers an immediate move to remote learning if a county goes to red.
West Virginia MetroNews requested the comments, which demonstrate heightened public debate over levels of risk as the Sept. 8 start of the school year approaches.
Jay O’Neal, an eighth grade social studies teacher at West Side Middle School in Charleston, also asked for a remote start to the school year. He wrote that his colleagues have strong reservations about returning to school in person.
“This is not ideal, but it seems to be the safest option at this point,” O’Neal wrote.
He wrote, “I would not able to live with myself if I found out a student was exposed to covid-19 in my classroom and, unknowingly, carried it home to his grandmother who was raising him and she died because of it.”
A grandmother, Donna Branton of Clarksburg, wrote that she is concerned about her granddaughters who have compromised immune systems.
“If choosing between my granddaughters’ lives or their education, which do you think I will choose?” she wrote.
“If choosing to have the grandchildren still have family instead of taking the risk of exposing their grandparents and have no one left for them, which do you choose? I know it sounds dramatic, but it is zero hour and drama is the only thing anyone listens to.”
Becky Gray, a reading and language arts teacher at Bridge Street Middle School in Ohio County, wrote that she has few sick days accrued because of health issues resulting from chemotherapy and radiation.
Additionally, her 75-year-old mother-in-law, who has health issues of her own, lives with the family. “I want her to be with us for many more years.”
“With the number of covid cases increasing, I truly believe that it would be a bad decision to return to face-to-face teaching this fall,” Gray wrote.
“I know that face-to-face instruction works best with children; however, the safety of the children, the faculty and the staff should be considered quite seriously in this possible life-or-death situation.”
Joseph Huff wrote that he returned to West Virginia this summer and took a job teaching in the coalfields to be closer to family. He described being shocked by the governor’s decision to reopen schools prior to the rollout of a vaccine.
“Had I been aware of such a reckless idea earlier this summer, I would never have signed a contract to teach in West Virginia,” Huff wrote.
“Reopening without a vaccine will prevent our aging parents from seeing their grandson (because they will be forced to stay away from us due to my risk of exposure), which was the strongest motivation leading me to return and teach for West Virginia.”
Brittney Barlett of Weston wrote that she quit teaching, stopped being the National Honor Society adviser and quit serving as the tennis coach on July 22.
“You lost a damn good educator because you refused to protect us,” she wrote.
“You’re willing to dish out thousands for thermometers and fancy sanitizers, but do not trust educators to make their own choices about what is safe for them. You’re ignoring science and hoping the decisions you make will not result in deaths in every school across the state. You’re hoping the deaths we have don’t make you look TOO bad.”
The West Virginia Professional Educators organization wants assurances on a range of issues, including the availability of personal protective equipment substitutes to cover classrooms and bus routes.
“If the covid-19 case numbers remain high or continue to rise as we approach Sept. 8, most educators we talk with are in favor of starting the school year in remote learning mode,” according to a letter from the organization.
“Then if it looks like the numbers have leveled off or decreased, they are willing to move on to other blended, or full 5-day schedules.”
Parent Stacy Harper of Morgantown wrote that it is critical for elementary school students to experience face-to-face instruction.
“I fear that many of our children, particularly elementary-aged, will lose an entire year of education,” Harper wrote.
“They may not have parents or caregivers who can give the type of support that is needed to make remote learning successful, nor do they have home environments that are safe and secure.”
Another parent, Meredith Durrenberger of Putnam County, wrote to express grave concern.
“Please protect the lives of teachers and allow them to work from home if they so choose,” Durrenberger wrote.
Parent Debbie Cremeans of Cabell County asked questions.
“How will the 6-foot social distancing happen in all classrooms? Without proper ventilation and space it seems this is nearly impossible in classroom settings,” wrote Cremeans, a retired teacher.
“Will ALL students have to wear a mask? Considering the ages of elementary students is this even realistic? What will happen if a parent refuses to make a child wear a mask? Who will support the teachers and administrators? If a brother or sister is exposed and are in different classrooms will both classes have to quarantine?”