Liz McCormick Published

Nineteen W.Va. Counties Will Be Remote, Virtual School This Week

WV Education Map - Nov 16 2020 - Updated.jpg

Updated on Nov. 16, 2020 at 1 p.m.

The West Virginia Department of Education announced that nineteen counties will be remote learning-only for the week of Nov. 15. State officials rolled out updated data Saturday, Nov. 14 at 6:09 p.m. with an additional update on Sunday and Monday. Nicholas and Wetzel counties have opted for virtual learning-only this week. Also, a handful of other counties entered into the red category on the state’s color-coded map.

Barbour, Fayette, Hardy, Jackson, Jefferson, Lincoln, Logan, Marshall, Mineral, Mingo, Nicholas, Ohio, Putnam, Randolph, Tyler, Wayne, Wetzel, Wood and Wyoming counties will not be open for in-person instruction this week.

On Monday, the WVDE posted the latest update to the color-coded map, showing some counties have turned red or opted to turn red. These counties included: Jackson, Marshall, Mineral, Nicholas, Randolph and Wetzel counties. Barbour County was already in the red category as of Saturday evening. Nicholas and Wetzel counties, which are gold and yellow, respectively, on the map, have voluntarily chosen to enter into the red category and hold virtual learning-only this week.

Red (Substantial Community Transmission): Remote-only learning mode. No extracurricular competitions or practices are permitted. Staff may report to their schools, as determined by the county. Essential support services, including special education and meals, will continue. Counties in red include: Barbour, Jackson, Marshall, Mineral, Nicholas, Randolph, Wetzel

Orange (Heightened Community Transmission): Remote-only learning mode. Extracurricular practices may occur, however, competitions may not. Staff may report to their schools, as determined by the county. Essential support services, including special education and meals, will continue. Counties in orange include: Fayette, Hardy, Jefferson, Lincoln, Logan, Mingo, Ohio, Putnam, Tyler, Wayne, Wood, Wyoming

Gold (Elevated Community Transmission): In-person instruction is permitted with restrictions, including face coverings at all times for grades 3-12. Extracurricular activities are permitted. Competitions can take place against schools within the same county as well as schools in other gold counties. Counties in gold include: Berkeley, Boone, Brooke, Cabell, Hancock, Kanawha, Mason, Morgan, Preston

Yellow (Increased Community Transmission): School may be held for in-person instruction. Extracurricular practices and competitions may occur. Health and safety precautions include, at a minimum, face coverings at all times for grades six and above. Please refer to your county for specific face covering requirements. Counties in yellow include: Clay, Hampshire, Harrison, Lewis, McDowell, Mercer, Monroe, Pleasants, Raleigh, Ritchie, Upshur.

Green (Minimal Community Transmission): School may be held for in-person instruction. Extracurricular practices and competitions may occur. Health and safety precautions include, at a minimum, face coverings in grades three and above when students are outside of core groups and in congregant settings and on school buses. Please refer to your county for specific face covering requirements. Counties in green include: Braxton, Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Grant, Greenbrier, Marion, Monongalia, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Roane, Summers, Taylor, Tucker, Webster, Wirt

All schools, both public and private, are expected to adhere to the WVDE’s re-entry map to guide in-person instruction and extracurricular activities.

Updates to the map are usually announced each Saturday at 5 p.m. and will be in effect until the following Saturday at the same time, according to the WVDE. The only exception would be if a county turns red during the week.

If this happens, the change would be made immediately to the map, according to the WVDE, and all in-person instruction and extracurricular and athletic activities would be suspended.

As of Monday morning, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reports 34,460 total cases of the virus and 585 deaths. In the past 24 hours, more than 800 new cases have been identified in the state. This, following a record high on Saturday of more than 1,100 new cases. At least 10,377 cases are considered active, according to DHHR.