On Wednesday evening, the Upshur County Board of Education voted to return to in-person teaching and learning, using the blended format. Students will return on Tuesday, January 19, 2021. We are so excited about the return of our students that we are referring to this as our “Super Tuesday!”

During the meeting, the Upshur County Board of Education agreed to follow the guidance from the W.Va. Board of Education (WVBE) and resume a two-day blended cohort model beginning January 19, 2021. 

Face coverings will be mandated for all grades. Upshur County Schools will continue to offer full remote learning using Upshur County teachers. West Virginia Virtual School learning options will remain available. A motion by Katie Loudin, seconded by Dr. Greenbrier Almond, with an amendment by Kristie Wilkerson, was made to include maintenance of physical distancing in all school facilities. The motion carried with a 4-1vote. 

The blended learning format was in practice prior to going to full remote in November and will remain consistent. Cohorts will remain as they were last fall.  Cohort A, students with last names A-L will attend Monday and Thursday, while Cohort B, students with last names M-Z, will attend Tuesday and Friday. All learning will be fully remote on Wednesday to allow for additional deep cleaning.

All schools will dismiss at 2:00pm each day to allow teachers to contact their fully remote students.

Students in PreK – 8 will attend in-person regardless of the color of the DHHR map, but attendance at Buckhannon-Upshur High School will be decided by DHHR map. If Upshur County is red on the DHHR map, high school students will not attend in person the following day. 

Attendance decisions for B-UHS will be made daily based on the DHHR map. B-UHS students have different attendance criteria as a result of research indicating there is a greater infection and transmission rate among high school students, far greater than their younger peers.

Curbside food will be provided at each school on Wednesday. Dates and times will be posted on school and county social media and websites. Stay up to date by downloading our Upshur County Schools app.

Upshur County will closely monitor student progress, our ability to adhere to safety protocols (i.e. social distancing) and the effectiveness of following the stated guidelines as set forth by the WVBE as we prepare for increased time of in-person learning. Full remote learning will continue to be an option for our families.  If you have questions, please contact your school.

The Upshur County Board members will review these criteria at the February 23, 2021 Board of Education meeting, which will be held at B-UHS at 6 p.m. 

Below are the guidelines set forth by the West Virginia Board of Education and those to which Upshur County Schools will comply:

• The WVBE desires to return students to in-person learning and to ensure that students, teachers, and staff can do so safely. The Board recognizes that in-person learning is the best mode in which to foster a student’s intellectual, social-emotional, and physical growth and well-being. 
• To continue to ensure that schools remain safe for students, teachers, and staff, education leaders at the local level are directed to continue monitoring and enforcing the WVDE’s six identified mitigation strategies, especially mask wearing.
• Parents will continue to have the ability to choose a virtual learning option for their children.

For all PreK-8 students in West Virginia

• PreK-8 schools will attend in-person instruction regardless of their county’s color on the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) County Alert System map.
• All PreK-8 students will resume in-person instruction on January 19. Counties do not have the option to implement full countywide remote learning for PreK-8 students. However, a local county board of education retains the authority to work with local health officials and to close individual classrooms or schools when a specific health need related to that classroom or school is identified. Such closures shall be of limited duration and related to the specific health need of the school or classroom. Teachers and staff will continue to provide essential student support services including meals, student engagement, all special education services and support to at-risk students.
• Counties are encouraged to resume in-person instruction 4 or 5 days per week on January 19. 
• Counties have the option to utilize blended instruction models beginning January 19. Blended models must provide each student with in-person instruction at least 2 days per week. 

For West Virginia students in grades 9 through 12

• High schools will attend school in-person unless their county is red on the DHHR County Alert System map. In-person instruction may consist of blended learning models for students in grades 9-12.
• Consistent with the practice that has been in place since the start of the 2020-2021 school year, high schools will move to remote learning the day after the county turns red on the DHHR County Alert System map.
• High schools may stay in remote learning until the following Monday. 
• If the county is not red on the DHHR daily map on Saturday, in-person instruction will resume on the following Monday.
• A county superintendent may determine and direct that a county will resume in-person learning without waiting until the following Monday.
• If the county is still in red status on Saturday or Sunday, remote learning will continue for another week unless the county superintendent directs the resumption of in-person instruction earlier
• A local county board of education retains the authority to work with local health officials and to close individual classrooms or schools when a specific health need related to that classroom or school is identified irrespective of the county’s color on the DHHR County Alert System map. Such closures shall be of limited duration and related to the specific health need of the school or classroom.
• Even when a county is red on the DHHR County Alert System map, teachers and staff will continue essential student support services including meals, student engagement, all special education services and support to at-risk students.

WVSSAC Sports Dates

• February 15- Winter Sports’ Practices Begin for High School and Middle School athletes
• March 3- Competitions begin for Girls’ High School and Middle School Winter Sports
• March 5- Competitions begin for Boys’ High School and Middle School Winter Sports
• March 15- Spring Sports’ Practices Begin for High School athletes
• March 22- Spring Sports’ Practices Begin for Middle School athletes
• April 12- Competitions begin for High School and Middle School Spring Sports