WINFIELD, W.Va. — Putnam County Schools will return to 5-day in-person learning for students in Pre-K through 8 starting Tuesday.
Putnam County Schools (PCS) Superintendent John Hudson told 580-WCHS that the county will have no changes in the way its been delivering education during the COVID-19 pandemic when the semester begins January 26.
Tuesday is the date cleared by Gov. Jim Justice and the state board of education that schools were able to return to the classroom no matter a county’s color on the COVID-19 alert map.
“Since the metrics do allow and based on the review of health data from state and local health officials, we will continue our in-person 5-day model of learning,” Hudson said.
High school students will return to in-person learning if Putnam County is not red on the map.
VIEW: Hudson’s message to Putnam County
According to Hudson, around 6,000 of the county’s 9,400 students selected in-person instruction for the spring term. He vowed for a safe return to 5-day in-person instruction.
“We aren’t health experts so what we are doing is relying on the data of he health experts. It indicates that the environment is safe for students in a five-day model,” Hudson said.
A second vaccination event for PCS employees concluded Friday. Hudson said around 800 of the district’s 1,280 employees received shots in the past two weeks. He projects that those in the first vaccination event will receive their scheduled second dose on January 29 and those in the second event, one week after.
More than 3,000 students in the county will continue with the PCS distance learning or virtual learning from the state in the term. Hudson admitted problems with virtual learning but said educators and families are doing their best during uncertain times. He said there has been an uptick in D’s and F’s in classes, similar to a report by the state Department of Education noting all counties.
He hopes all learning improves as time goes on.
“Are they more prepared than they were in August? I am confident they are. Do they feel better about what they are doing? Most certainly,” Hudson said.
“So I think having a semester under the belt during the pandemic can help us do a better job moving forward.”