On this week’s Inside West Virginia Politics, we talk about concerns over reopening West Virginia schools, if extracurricular activities and sports can be held this fall, and if all students and teachers should be tested before they go back to school.
In segment one, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice explains why the Sept. 8th reopening date for Mountain State schools is still a fluid situation, why the state must still “stay on their toes” and be ready to pivot in the case of a COVID-19 spike, and why he rebukes Democratic candidate for governor’s claims that schools are not ready to reopen.
In segment two, Kanawha County Commissioner Ben Salango, the Democratic candidate for governor, explains why he thinks West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice should be using the funds received from the Department of Education and the CARES Act to make the state’s schools safe to reopen, why the state needs to provide personal protective equipment for teachers and students, and why he believes schools are not safe for reopening at this time.
In segment three, State Superintendent of Schools Clayton Burch explains how the county has been working on reopening plans for months, why the county needed to provide options for parents, and where the state stands with extracurricular activities.
In segment four, Fred Albert, president of the West Virginia chapter of American Federation of Teachers, explains his concerns for teaches as schools reopen, why not testing everyone for COVID before going back to school would be a catastrophe, and how teachers are handling the online learning needed to help stop the spread of the virus.
