West Virginia is pushing back the start date for K-12 schools until Sept. 8 because of the state’s upward trend in COVID-19 cases, Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday.
Justice said the schools are prepared to open, but he does not want to risk exposing students, teachers, service personnel and parents to COVID-19 when the state has seen an uptick in cases. He said he will continue to watch the numbers.
“I am not going to move until I am absolutely as sure as I can possibly be that our kids are going to be safe,” Justice said. “That our … teachers and service personnel and our parents are going to be safe. … If we were to rush this and go back to school in two or three weeks, in my opinion, it’s the wrong decision because we don’t know. We just don’t know what’s going to happen. We have to buy some time.”
The governor said the ramifications for keeping students out of schools too long are horrible, but he needs more information before he can guarantee students will be safe. He said he hopes students still can get out of school by May.
Fred Albert, president of the West Virginia chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, told The Associated Press that the governor’s decision “is the right move for now.”
Clayton Burch, the West Virginia superintendent of schools, said although students have been out of school for several months, teachers worked with students throughout the spring. He said teachers have a sense of where the learning gaps are and that will be included as part of the preparation for the new school year.
Justice also intends to push back the start of high school sports. He said he will make an announcement on that Friday. The state also has been in talks with colleges about plans for beginning the next school year, Justice said.
