West Virginia Sen. Ihlenfeld Asks Justice for ‘Flexibility’ on COVID-19 Rules
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WHEELING -- West Virginia Sen. William Ihlenfeld is asking Gov. Jim Justice to give school districts more control to decide when students can return to extracurricular activities amid COVID-19 concerns.
Ihlenfeld, D-Ohio, has sent a letter to Justice requesting local school officials have more flexibility in determining when students can be in the building.
All counties in the Northern Panhandle presently are listed as being in the “red” or highest category for COVID spread. Not only can there be no in-person instruction in a county when it is in the red, but gatherings of students for extracurricular practices also are banned.
“I sent the letter after hearing concerns from a large number of parents, students and school administrators,” Ihlenfeld said. “I would like for the governor to provide more flexibility to local officials provided it can be done safely.”
He states in the letter he is writing on behalf of students in the Northern Panhandle “whose lives have been upended by the ongoing pandemic.”
“Whether it is the transition to virtual learning, the elimination of live musical and theatre productions, or the modification of athletic schedules, children have been forced to change their routines,” Ihlenfeld states. “All of it has had a significant impact upon the mental and emotional health of our youth, a factor that I urge you to consider when planning for 2021.”
Routines provide structure, focus and time management skills, according to Ihlenfeld. He said he has been told the grades of many students have dropped, and that this has been attributed to a disruption in their routine.
“For some students, their level of performance has dropped drastically -- from As and Bs to Ds and Fs,” he said. “These are rich and poor kids, black and while kids, and all of them participants in after-school activities that have been interfered with by the pandemic.”
In many ways, young people have fared better with managing the effects of the pandemic than their parents, according to Ihlenfeld.
“They are better at wearing masks, keeping their distance and washing their hands,” he states in the letter. “All the while, many adults continue to proceed as normal -- going to bars after work, (and) socializing without masks in stagnant environments. And here in Wheeling (they are) playing professional hockey with hundreds of fans in the stands.
“Teenagers see this as a double-standard and they are not wrong.”
Ihlenfeld asks Justice to give school officials more flexibility to manage extra-curricular activities in the coming year.
“Public, private and parochial school administrators, along with local health officials, are best positioned to know if it is safe to proceed. If fact, many already have a plan in place,” ihlenfeld states. “A return to routine will strengthen the mental and emotional health of our youth and that should be the priority for state leaders in 2021 — provided that it can be done safely.”
Ihlenfeld said he had not heard as of Wednesday afternoon what Justice’s plans are for students returning to classrooms and extra-curricular activities next year.