Coronavirus numbers hovered at the orange range throughout the month of November, keeping students in Ohio County on full remote learning.
That numbered creeped into the red in the last week and the updated Saturday map by the W.Va. Department of Education has shifted Ohio County into the red.
But should it drop back to orange, The Linsly School took steps Wednesday to potentially allow students and teachers back into the classroom.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice provided an exemption for private schools to have in-class education while their respective home county is orange. That requires testing the entire student body and faculty and receiving a percent positivity rating of 5-percent or less.
Linsly took a day-off from virtual learning Wednesday to hold free, drive-thru COVID-19 testing outside of Banes Hall.
Head of School Justin Zimmerman noted the Linsly parents have been overwhelmingly supportive of their students’ online learning experience. But he added there had been a few parents who expressed a desire to get back into the classroom. That’s a sentiment the faculty shares.
“Our parents have been extremely supportive. There have been some who expressed their desire for in-person learning,” Zimmerman said. “It’s fair to say that we would all prefer to teach our students face-to-face, and many believe our Safe & Together plan would allow us to conduct in-person school safely.”
That’s what sparked the testing Wednesday. Linsly sought to get a better understanding of the health of its students and faculty to “see if returning to in-person classes was even feasible.”
Extra Virtual Mile
While learning virtually, Linsly students are still receiving live instruction from each of their teachers. It’s helped lessen the overall negativity around learning virtually.
“Students have live, synchronous, virtual classes five days a week,” Zimmerman said. “Attendance is taken for every period, engagement is expected via cameras, and assessments and feedback are still being provided to students on a regular basis.”
Zimmerman noted he’s proud of the effort the teachers are putting in, as well as the effort the students are putting into their work.
“That being said, being at school allows for so many other things to happen that simply cannot happen in the virtual teaching environment. As soon as we feel it is safe, we want to return to in-person instruction.”
Ohio County turned orange less than two weeks prior to Thanksgiving. Given the time necessary to take and calculate test results, Linsly leaders felt it best to wait until after the holiday break before offering testing.
Otherwise, students may have only returned to class for a day or two before going on break.
“We believed staying virtual would be the best option for continuity of learning. We felt it would be better to test the week after Thanksgiving,” Zimmerman said.
Wednesday’s Participation
Zimmerman explained 55 percent of the student population, along with faculty and staff, took advantage of the on-campus testing Wednesday. Other families tested their children at off-campus sites, so overall participation is still being calculated.
The headmaster also noted that some families have expressed a preference to remain on virtual learning throughout the month of December and those families’ wishes will be honored as well.
“We’ve seen an increased percentage of families, as you might expect, who are concerned about the risk of attending school in person and want to remain as virtual learners for the month.”
Even if Linsly’s positivity rate is below 5 percent, it’s not automatic the students will immediately return. Zimmerman noted a number of factors will be taken into consideration before a final decision is rendered.
Once back in school, Linsly students won’t be required to all be tested weekly. The rules set up by the exemption call for random testing of both faculty and staff following baseline testing.
“Linsly would test a small percentage of teachers and students each week if the county is orange, just as many local universities are doing on a regular basis.”
When it comes to athletics, Linsly sports programs will still observe the no sports until January 11 edict declared by Gov. Justice and the WVSSAC. While not a member, the Cadets’ sports teams generally follow nearly all organization’s guidelines.
The exemption doesn’t apply to athletics.
