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Harpers Ferry is a historic West Virginia city and international tourist hub. But four years ago the national park and surrounding town were devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
School Board Grants 14 Counties Approval for 4-Day, In-Person Instruction Through School Year’s End
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West Virginia education officials emphasized the importance of in-person instruction during a Wednesday meeting of the state board of education.
State Superintendent Clayton Burch said most school systems in West Virginia are offering five days a week of in-person instruction while 14 counties have been granted a waiver to offer four days of in-person classes.
He said counties with the waiver are using their fifth day for a variety of purposes such as providing teachers with the time to keep up with students who remain in full-time virtual learning.
Around 40,000 students are still completely online but Burch said this number is decreasing and he expects all students to return to in-person learning next school year.
State board of education members, as well as the superintendent, emphasized the importance of in-person classes for students.
“The more and more I’ve watched this pandemic, every single day a school is not open to children is a day that I’m worried they don’t have access to the supports,” Burch said. “And that’s academic, that’s the folks that look out for them, that’s a meal.”
The state board decided they won’t require counties to go five days a week with less than two months left in the school year but as counties plan for the fall, they want to see schools open five days a week.
Harpers Ferry is a historic West Virginia city and international tourist hub. But four years ago the national park and surrounding town were devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On this West Virginia Morning, tourists from around the world visit Harpers Ferry each year to immerse themselves in U.S. history. But the number of visitors fell in 2020, as public health restrictions ramped up nationwide. Jack Walker visited the town to learn how things have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic began.