Today, Governor Justice unveiled additional changes to the WVDE color-coded school metric. While we agree that more testing is imperative in gaining a more accurate reflection of the infection rates in our communities, AFT-WV questions the effectiveness of a constantly changing metric for school attendance. Employees, parents, and students need a system they can trust and easily understand. While the ultimate goal is for every student to be taught in-person, the Governor should not pursue that goal at the expense of any child or employee’s health and safety. Since April, AFT-WV’s message has been consistent: we want our schools opened for face to face learning only when it is safe for students and staff. Additionally, our schools must have adequate PPE and proper sanitation supplies, and follow the protocols and procedures put forth by the local and state health experts.
AFT-WV has several questions and concerns related to these changes and is seeking clarification from Superintendent Burch.
Furthermore, AFT-WV believes that the school metric announcement for each week could be made on Friday afternoon since the data used ends on Thursday night. This would allow both parents and employees an additional day to plan accordingly for the next instructional week.