One Ohio County Board of Education member expects positive cases within the school system to be recorded in the future, and that is because Pete Chacalos believes some students and their parents will fail with following the long-standing guidelines for public interaction within West Virginia schools.
Ohio County Schools began in-school learning this morning on a rotation based on the alphabetical order of last names in an effort to reduce in-school populations on all levels. The district is expected to educate as many as 5,000 pupils during the 2020-2021 academic year, and administrators and educators have worked this summer to develop both classroom and virtual curricula.
“I think we are bound to have positive cases,” Chacalos said. “That is the nature of the beast. Some folks simply will not follow either basic protocols nor proper rules of hygiene. I have seen people going into stores and places of business unmasked (or improperly masked). Some will gather in large groups and not engage in social distancing. Some may unknowingly contract and spread the virus when not taking the proper precautions.
“Just look at what happened in Morgantown,” he continued. “Because of some irresponsible folks, the kids of Monongalia County, who have done everything right, must pay the price. I really feel for those kids.”
Differing Opinions
Soon after the BOE approved both an in-school schedule and the improved virtual platform developed during the summer, Chacalos received emails that demanded a five-day schedule each week and only the online option.
“I do respect their opinions,” he said. “However, I think we must look to the experts (as OCS has done) for guidance. Our county administrators have done their due diligence and have come up with a plan, as the governor has ordered,“ he said. “I realize there is no plan that will please everybody, but the hybrid plan, which starts at level 2, is a good starting point. That’s because it gets the kids IN school where they need to be.
“From that point we can move seamlessly in either direction, going to Level One and Level Zero (hopefully) and be completely in school, or, if necessary, to Level 3 and be completely virtual,” Chacalos explained. “People need to understand that ANY policy adopted, with respect to the start of school, cannot eliminate risk; it can only lessen that risk. Teachers want to be with their kids. I agree that our students need to be in school, but they also need to be safe. I believe that the plan our administrators have come up with has found the point where these two concerns intersect.
Virtual Development
In mid-March W.Va. Gov. Jim Justice surprised educators throughout the state with the sudden closure of all schools in the Mountain State, and that sent Superintendent Kim Miller into a frantic search for ways to continue the education process from home. For about 90 percent, that was attempted virtually, but the other 10 percent received packets of learning materials.
Throughout the summers, though, many hours have been dedicated to improving both at-home options.
“This past March, the entire state was caught off guard. Our county came up with as good a plan as possible under the circumstances,” Chacalos said. “Since then, our teachers have gone above and beyond expectations.
“They have put in countless hours over the summer (for which they are not paid) developing course materials for virtual learning,” he said. “After seeing some of their work and their bitmoji classrooms, I can say to OCS teachers, ‘You guys ROCK!’”
Positive Tests and the New Normal
During Wheeling Park’s summer conditioning program, a pair of football coaches and two student/athletes tested positive of COVID-19. Those four individuals stayed away for the mandatory 14 days, and no confirmations were recorded with anyone connected with the high school’s other fall activities.
The Health Department will notify OCS of any student who tests positive,” Chacalos explained. “For these students to return to school, the Ohio County Health Department will determine re-entry protocol.
“If a child or teacher tests positive, OCS will be working with the Wheeling/Ohio County Health Department to determine any quarantine procedures,” he reported. “It is conceivable that individual schools in Ohio County can be at different levels at the same time.”
Chacalos, who was a science teacher for 35 years at Wheeling Park High School, believes looking for this pandemic’s end right now is inconceivable because of the many unknowns.
“I think we need to see a downward trend over a specific amount of time,” he said. “We simply do not know if this will even occur in the foreseeable future. We must plan and look at any additional measures that can be used to enhance safety of our students, teachers, and staff. It is an extremely fluid situation, making it very difficult to look too far into the future.
“When I decided to run for the position at the beginning of January, I never thought that we would be dealing with a pandemic. So, from that aspect, it is not what I thought it would be. However, it has been a positive experience thus far,” he added. “I have seen OCS from a different perspective. I have communicated with many people about different aspects of OCS. While not always in agreement, I respect each opinion, and I hope to continue hearing from folks. I am always willing to listen. I also look forward to getting out to each school (when that is possible), seeing what is happening, and getting to know the teachers and staff.”
