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West Virginia Department of Education prepares for coronavirus

Also discuss efforts to find new superintendent

The West Virginia Board of Education met Wednesday in Charleston. (Photo by Steven Allen Adams)

CHARLESTON — The West Virginia Department of Education is actively preparing for the coronavirus, while the search for a new state schools superintendent continues.

Acting Superintendent of Schools Clayton Burch said Wednesday during a coronavirus briefing at the state Capitol that he has been in conference calls daily with the state Department of Health and Human Resources regarding the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

No confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been found in West Virginia, but Burch said schools are being proactive.

“We are monitoring it daily,” Burch said.

The Department of Education issued a memo to all 55 county school superintendents this week. Burch said all county superintendents will be in Charleston Friday to hear a briefing from Bill Crouch, secretary of DHHR, and Dr. Cathy Slemp, the state health officer and commissioner of DHHR’s Bureau of Public Health.

“One of the things we’ve been very clear about over the last several weeks is clear and concise information and communication to the 55 districts and the Schools for the Deaf and the Blind,” Burch said. “One of the things Dr. Slemp and I talked about on a few occasions most recently is communication must be concise and it must filter down to the folks who need it — 266,000 children and their families. It’s very important they feel safe in their schools.”

Burch said the department has a webpage at wvde.state.wv.us with the latest information about coronavirus. As of now, no schools have been directed to close down, with superintendents encouraged to stay in close contact with their county health departments, review plans for infectious diseases, and update emergency communications plans.

Schools have been directed to have custodians clean their schools consistently and diligently, remind employees and students to wash their hands and cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough, and stay home if they’re sick. Department of Education activities and events are continuing on with no cancelations planned. While the department isn’t involved with the individual schedules or school sporting events, no changes have been made.

“Every district must have a preparedness plan,” Burch said. “We’ve asked them to get them out and make sure they’re up-to-date, but also don’t be surprised if you see some communication come out from the schools talking about deep cleaning.”

Fred Albert, president of the West Virginia chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, asked about the department’s plans Wednesday morning.

“I’ve been getting calls already from some of my members about what are we going to do about the coronavirus or the COVID-19 or whatever you want to call it,” Albert said. “Is there a plan in place? Thankfully in West Virginia we haven’t had a case…but what are we going to do? Is there a plan? I don’t have an answer for them.”

According to DHHR, eight West Virginians have been tested for COVID-19. As of Wednesday, seven of the tests came back negative while one test result was pending. No cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the state.

First detected in China’s Wuhan province, COVID-19 is a respiratory virus. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, there are 938 reported cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. in 38 states and Washington, D.C., with 29 deaths. All of West Virginia’s surrounding states have reported cases of the coronavirus.

Also Wednesday, Board of Education President Dave Perry updated board members on the search for a new superintendent of schools, which ends Friday at 4 p.m.

According to Perry, the department received eight applications with four of those meeting the minimum requirements for the position. One is application is from Florida and three are from West Virginia, though Perry declined to name the applicants. The department chose to conduct its own search instead of paying an outside consulting firm to do the headhunting.

“We have advertised both in-state and out-of-state at an approximate cost of about $8,000 as opposed to well over $50,000 had we used an outside agency to do our job for us,” Perry said. “I commend the board for being willing to take this task on and doing a very responsible job for the students and teachers of the State of West Virginia.”

Board member James Wilson asked whether it was possible to name the applicants similar to what state colleges and universities are required to do once the school board narrows the choices down. Heather Hutchins, counsel for the department, said that was up to the board to decide.

“The board has some discretion in what to do there, and it will sort of depend on how the search goes and how far we get,” Hutchins said. “It has often been common in the past that interviewees are known because people see them coming in and out of the buildings. That’s something that does become public. Depending on how the process goes, the board will be in the position as to how much information to share.”

The previous superintendent of schools, Stephen Paine, had announced his retirement from the position effective in June, but he stepped down Feb. 21 due to a family medical issue. Burch, an assistant state superintendent, was appointed as Paine’s successor until a permanent replacement is selected by the state board. Paine was West Virginia’s 31st state superintendent of schools, selected in March 2017 after previously serving in that role from 2005 to 2011.

Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com

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