Nearly 80 percent of Wheeling Park High School Faculty Senate members voted Monday to return to the classroom in some form, according to information from the organization.
The Faculty Senate held a meeting to determine the manner in which teachers hoped to begin the 2020-2021 school year. Approximately 78 percent of the school’s professional staff members voted in favor of either a combination of in-class and virtual learning or five days of in-class instruction. Only 15 members of the faculty senate voted to begin the start of the school year with virtual-only learning, information received by Ohio County Schools administration indicates.
Ohio County Schools Superintendent Kimberly Miller said schools will re-open with student safety as the top priority. She said, as indicated by the survey, it’s important for Wheeling Park High School teachers to engage with their students.
Educating Our Students
“They are experts in their fields, and they know the value of face-to-face instruction,” Kimberly Miller said. “It’s very important that our students get back into the classroom, and our exceptional teachers are so important at this time.”
Wheeling Park High School Faculty Senate President Melonie Miller said the voting results were finalized Tuesday. She said 68 of the school’s 126 teachers took part in the vote, which she found disappointing. However, she said she doesn’t know why some teachers decided not to vote.
“The vote was requested because they (teachers) felt their opinions weren’t accurately portrayed in public,” Melonie Miller said. “They wanted a discussion, and they made a motion that we take a vote. I’m disappointed in the response with only 68 voting, but I think that everyone’s main concern is educating our students, and we want to keep them safe. We want to both. The teachers voted for what they thought was best. Different teachers had different views.”
Ohio County Schools will begin the 2020-2021 school on Sept. 8 at a Level 2. Due to the Labor Day Holiday, students in Group A will attend classes Tuesday and Thursday, while students in Group B will attend classes on Wednesday and Friday. The following week, students in Group A will attend classes on Monday and Thursday and students in Group B will attend classes on Tuesday and Friday. All of the students will learn remotely on the days in which they are not in school.
“The safety of our students, teachers and staff members is what is most important right now,” Kimberly Miller said. “And, we understand the concerns of the teachers who wish to begin the school year remotely. Those concerns are valid. However, it is still encouraging to see how engaged Wheeling Park High School teachers hope to be with their students.”
