NITRO, W.Va. — Kanawha County Schools will not be participating in the mass COVIID-19 testing of student-athletes, band members or dance team members proposed by Gov. Jim Justice.
The state’s largest county school system announced on Monday afternoon, hours after Justice gave it the option, the decline for the one-time option in order to play or perform this week.
The idea from Justice came as Kanawha County was the color orange on the COVID-19 color-coded map on Saturday night by the state Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR).
“We thank state officials for this option for our students, but we’ve collectively decided that our focus should be on making sure that we do everything in our power to get our students back to school,” said Dr. Tom Williams, Superintendent of Kanawha County Schools said in a release.
“I’m proud of our coaches and principals for continuing to focus on the start of our school year.”
A county that falls in the color orange, meaning 10 to 24.9 7-day rolling average of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people, would not allow any extracurricular activities or in-person schooling to take place for that week. The marker map is the one that is updated on Saturday nights by the DHHR.
The county has 12.99 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people on a rolling 7-day average as of Monday.
Nitro HS Principal Jason Redman told 580-WCHS that mass testing would not be a good allocation of resources as the school year approaches. All schools in the state are slated to begin on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
“Our absolute goal is to start school in-person next Tuesday. Not testing and getting ready for that is the best choice we have had,” Redman said.
Redman said the school has already tentatively rescheduled its Week 1 football game against St. Albans that cannot be played this week with the county in orange. The game is set for Labor Day, Sept. 7 at noon
The Wildcats Week 2 game against Herbert Hoover is pushed to Saturday, Sept. 12 instead of Friday, Sept. 11 to allow for two games in one week.
The games would not take place next week if the county remains the color orange or moves to red.
Redman said he appreciates the leadership of football coach Zach Davis, who has been vocal of getting the kids the chance to play.
“We are blessed to have him. Not because of him as a football coach but him as a person and leader of our boys. He will do whatever he can to make sure our players are looked after and get what they deserve,” Redman said.