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WHEELING -- Ohio County Schools has released specifics on which students will be in the classroom and on what days when the school year begins.
The school district will start the term on a "Level 2" declaration, which means students will be separated into two individual groups, and each group will attend in-person classes separate from the other two days each week.
The days they are not in the classroom they will be responsible for doing remote learning at home. School officials now have determined which students will be in the classroom on what days.
"Ohio County Schools administrators have spent many hours developing a plan that ensures the safety of our students and provides them with the most effective learning plan possible," said Superintendent Kim Miller. "We discussed the plan with all of our building principals today, and we are excited to welcome the students back to the classrooms."
The first day of classroom instruction for students in grades 1-12 -- those whose last names start with the letters "A" through the letter "L" -- will be Tuesday; Sept. 8. This group, "Group A," will return again on Thursday, Sept. 10.
Students in Group B are those whose last names start with the letters "M" through "Z."
Their first day in the classroom will be Wednesday, Sept. 9, and they will be in class again on Friday, Sept. 11.
After the first week of school, Group A will be in school on Mondays and Thursdays; and Group B, on Tuesdays and Fridays. Wednesdays will be used as a day to clean and disinfect the schools.
Adjustments will be made for siblings living in the same home with different last names so all can attend school on the same days, according to school officials.
All students in Ohio County Schools will receive a device for remote learning. Those in grades 3-12 will receive a Chromebook on which to do their studies, while students in pre-K through second grade will be given iPads.
Families not wanting to send students to school during the pandemic also have the option of doing all distance remote learning while still having access to educational programs in Ohio County Schools. These students still will receive a school district-owned device for at-home learning, and they will be permitted to move between in-school and all remote learning as they and their families wish.
Families also have a third option to sign on for the West Virginia Virtual School program set forth by the West Virginia Department of Education. Students who participate must enroll for a full semester, and they still will receive an Ohio County Schools device for at-home learning. These students also may have to attend in-person, proctored exams, according to information provided by Ohio County Schools.
Face coverings will be required for all students when doing in-school learning in Ohio County Schools.
The starting date for kindergarten students is set for Sept. 14, and pre-kindergarten is scheduled to begin even later on Sept. 21. Whether all of half of these younger classes will be in the classroom at that time will depend on what level declaration is in effect at that time, according to school officials.
Under a Level 0 declaration all students will be in the classroom five days a week, while a Level 1 has students in the classroom four days a week with one day of remote learning and school cleaning
Level 2, meanwhile, is the hybrid plan for two-days of in-school learning and three-days of remote learning each week at which Ohio County Schools will start the school year.
Under a Level 3 declaration, all students would do remote learning at home five days a week and not be in the classrooms.
Assistant Superintendent Rick Jones has said he will try to make the call on Wednesdays for the next week's level designation so families can make necessary plans.