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School responses in West Virginia to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

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Responses by state


As students returned to school for the 2021-2022 school year, states set a variety of policies on education and the COVID-19 pandemic, including how schools should open to in-person instruction and whether students and staff would be required to wear masks. By the end of the 2020-2021 school year, about 66% of students nationwide were in states that left closure decisions to schools or districts, 33% were in states with state-ordered in-person instruction, and 1% were in states with state-ordered regional school closures.[1][2] All 50 states closed schools to in-person instruction at some point during the 2019-2020 school year in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

This article summarizes responses to the coronavirus in West Virginia schools in the academic years ending in 2020, 2021, and 2022. You will find:

Ballotpedia’s coverage of COVID-19 includes how federal, state, and local governments are responding, and how those responses are influencing election rules and operations, political campaigns, the economy, schools, and more.

This page is updated monthly, but our email is always open. We encourage you to share updates from local officials, policymakers, and campaigns in your community at editor@ballotpedia.org.


Timeline by school year

Below is a list of major events involving schools in West Virginia during the coronavirus pandemic between 2019 and 2022, including school closings and openings, mask requirements, and the release of statewide operating guidance. Know of something we missed? Click here to email us and let us know.

2021-2022 school year

  • Sept. 9, 2021: At the beginning of the school year, Burbio, a school data aggregator, reported seventeen in-person schooling disruptions in West Virginia.[3][4]


2020-2021 school year

  • June 29, 2021: At the end of the school year, Burbio reported all schools were in-person in West Virginia .[5][6]
  • March 24, 2021: Gov. Jim Justice (R) ordered all schools, regardless of grade or county transmission levels, to reopen for in-person learning five days a week. Previously, high schools had to close in counties the DHHR designated as red transmission areas.[7]
  • January 19, 2021: All public and private pre-K, elementary, and middle schools in West Virginia were required to resume full-time in-person or hybrid (at least two in-person days every week) instruction, regardless of their county’s transmission rates. High schools were still required to close if they were located in counties the Department of Health and Human Resources classified as red in the County Alert System map.[8]
  • December 30, 2020: On Dec. 30, Gov. Jim Justice (R) announced that all elementary and middle schools would reopen to full-time, in-person instruction beginning Jan. 19. Justice also announced that most high schools would reopen unless they were located in counties the Department of Health and Human Resources classified as red.[9]
  • December 3, 2020: Public and private schools in West Virginia were allowed to reopen from Thanksgiving closures starting Dec. 3. Gov. Jim Justice ordered schools closed from Thanksgiving through Dec. 3 to allow a seven-day period between holiday gatherings and in-person instruction.[10]
  • September 15, 2020: Gov. Jim Justice (R) announced he was adding a new color—gold—to the color-coding system that determined how schools could reopen. Counties with between 10 and 14.9 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people would be classified as gold. While in-person learning was allowed in gold counties, there were limits on gatherings and sports travel.[11]
  • Sept. 10, 2020: At the beginning of the school year, Burbio reported most schools were using virtual or hybrid learning in West Virginia .[12][13]
  • August 14, 2020: Justice announced a color-coded school reopening metric for counties. Schools in green and yellow counties would be able to reopen for in-person instruction on the statewide school reentry date. Schools in red and orange phase counties would be required to conduct fully remote operations. Fifty-two out of the state’s 55 counties were in the green or yellow phases.[14]
  • August 5, 2020: Justice released reopening guidance for schools in the state. Justice set a target reopening date of Sept. 8 and counties were required to submit their reopening plans by Aug. 14.[15]


2019-2020 school year

  • April 21, 2020: Gov. Jim Justice (R) announced that schools would not reopen for in-person instruction for the remainder of the academic year. Prior to the announcement, schools were closed through April 30.[16]
  • April 1, 2020: Justice announced that the statewide school closure, scheduled to end April 17, was extended through April 30.[17]
  • March 25, 2020: Justice announced that all schools would remain closed through April 17.[18]
  • March 13, 2020: Justice closed all pre-K-12 schools across the state indefinitely.[19]

Mask and vaccine requirements in the 2021-2022 school year

Mask requirements in schools

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

As of August 1, 2022, no states had school mask requirements in effect. Forty-two states left mask requirements in schools up to local authorities. Seven states banned school mask requirements.

The table below shows statewide school mask requirement laws and orders in states with school mask requirements or school mask requirement bans in place at the end of the 2021-2022 school year.

Mask requirement orders
State Ban or requirement? Type of order Date lifted or altered
Arizona Ban Legislative action N/A
Arkansas Ban Legislative action Sept. 30, 2021 - Suspended by court action
California Requirement California Department of Public Health order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Connecticut Requirement Executive order Feb. 28, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Delaware Requirement Executive order March 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Florida Ban Executive order N/A[20]
Georgia Ban Legislative action N/A
Hawaii Requirement Executive order Aug. 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Illinois Requirement Illinois Department of Public Health order Feb. 4, 2022 - Suspended by court action[21]
Iowa Ban Legislative action May 16, 2022 - Reinstated by court action[22]
Kentucky Requirement Kentucky Board of Education order Sept. 9, 2021 - Suspended by state law
Louisiana Requirement Executive order Feb. 16, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[23]
Maryland Requirement Maryland State Board of Education order March 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[24]
Massachusetts Requirement Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education order Feb. 28, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[25]
Nevada Requirement Executive order Feb. 10, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New Jersey Requirement Executive order March 7, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New Mexico Requirement New Mexico Public Education Department order Feb. 17, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New York Requirement Executive order March 3, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Oklahoma Ban Executive order N/A
Oregon Requirement Oregon Health Authority and Department of Education order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Pennsylvania Requirement Pennsylvania Department of Health order Dec. 10, 2021 - Suspended by court action
Rhode Island Requirement Executive order March 4, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
South Carolina Ban Legislative action Sept. 28, 2021 - Temporarily suspended by court action
Tennessee Ban Executive order Dec. 10, 2021 - Suspended by court action
Texas Ban Executive order N/A[26]
Utah Ban Legislative action N/A
Virginia Ban Legislative action N/A
Washington Requirement Washington State Department of Public Health order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action

School mask requirements over time

School mask bans over time


Teacher and school employee vaccine requirements

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

Seven states had issued a statewide requirement for K-12 teachers and staff to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or receive regular coronavirus testing during the 2021-2022 school year. The table below shows teacher and staff vaccine requirement laws and orders in states that issued such policies during the 2021-2022 school year.

Vaccine requirement orders
State Testing instead of vaccination allowed? Type of order Date effective
California Yes California Department of Public Health order Oct. 15, 2021
Connecticut No Executive order Sept. 27, 2021
Delaware Yes Executive order Nov. 1, 2021
Illinois Yes Executive order Issued: Sept. 19, 2021
Suspended by court action on Feb. 4, 2022
New Jersey Yes Executive order Oct. 18, 2021
New York Yes Executive order Sept. 19, 2021
Oregon No Executive order Oct. 18, 2021
Washington No Executive order Oct. 18, 2021


Student vaccine requirements

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

On Oct. 1, 2021, California was the first state to announce a vaccine requirement for eligible students. Louisiana also announced a vaccine requirement for eligible students on Dec. 14, but then announced the state would be removing the coronavirus vaccine from the list of required immunizations in schools on May 18, 2022.

School reopenings and closures (2020-2021 academic year)

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2020-2021 academic year

Initial school year operating plan

See also: Documenting America's Path to Recovery: July 23, 2020

West Virginia released an initial operating plan for the 2020-2021 school year on July 8, 2020. An analysis of this plan appeared in our Documenting America's Path to Recovery newsletter on July 23. The sections below include an analysis of the plan, the details of the plan, and reactions from officials to the plan.

The West Virginia Department of Education released school reopening guidance on July 8.

West Virginia does not have an official date for public schools to reopen, but Gov. Jim Justice (R) said the state is aiming to re-start on Sept. 8. According to EdWeek, public schools in West Virginia traditionally start the academic year between early and mid-August, with the exact start date varying by district.

On March 13, Gov. Justice closed public schools indefinitely. On March 21, the state announced schools would remain closed through April 17. On April 1, the closure was extended through April 30. Justice ended the public school year on April 21.

Context

West Virginia is a Republican trifecta. The governor is a Republican, and Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. The state became a Republican trifecta in 2017.

The following tables show public education statistics in West Virginia, including a rank comparing it to the other 49 states. Rank one is the highest number of each figure, rank 50 is the lowest. All data comes from the Common Core of Data provided by the National Center for Education Statistics.

West Virginia school metrics
Category Figure Rank
Per pupil spending (16-17) $12,736 28
Number of students (18-19) 267,976 39
Number of teachers (Fall 2016) 19,356 38
Number of public schools (18-19) 725 40
Student:teacher ratio (18-19) 14.2 33
Percent qualifying for free/reduced lunch (16-17) 44.6% 34


West Virginia school revenue
Category Figure Rank
Total revenue $3,525,371,000 38
Federal revenue percent 10.3% 17
State revenue percent 57.5% 13
Local revenue percent 32.2% 39

Details

District reopening plans

County school boards are free to develop their own schedules and re-entry plans as long as they comply with state requirements. State guidance does not indicate that such plans need to be formal, publicly posted, or submitted to the state, though schools and counties are advised to “Clearly communicate re-entry plans with students, families and school staff. Identify and address concerns related to re-entry.”

In-person, hybrid, and online learning

The reopening plan allows county boards of education to choose between fully in-person, blended, and online schedules depending on the effects of the coronavirus and the needs of students in their districts. Counties are required to offer a fully online curriculum option for families who want such an option. Parents who want to enroll their children in an online program must contact their county’s board of education. The plan also notes, “Districts must be prepared to implement full remote learning should it be required by the Governor.”

Mask requirements

West Virginia’s reopening plan contained the following mask requirements for staff and students:

“
  • Face coverings are required of all staff when they cannot provide instruction in a socially distanced manner.
  • Unless medically waived, students grades 3 and above are required to wear face coverings when outside of their core classroom group or in congregant areas.
  • Any student who cannot wear a mask or face shield due to a medical condition, including those with respiratory issues that impede breathing, a mental health condition, or disability, and students who would be unable to remove a mask without assistance are not required to wear face coverings. Individuals who are communicating or seeking to communicate with someone who is hearing impaired or who has another disability, where the ability to see the mouth is essential to communication, are not required to wear a mask; however, individuals should consider using another type of face covering such as a plastic face shield.
  • Students in middle and high school are required to wear face coverings in congregant areas and in classrooms if they are not in their core groups and/or social distancing cannot be maintained.

[27]

”

In-person health recommendations and requirements

Schools and county boards that choose to reopen for in-person and blended instruction are required to implement the following safety precautions:

“
  • Provide social distancing floor/seating markings in waiting and reception areas.
  • Mark or designate six feet of spacing to remind students and staff to always stay six feet apart in lines and at other times when they may congregate.
  • Provide marks on the floors of restrooms and locker rooms to indicate proper social distancing.
  • Limit nonessential visitors and activities involving external groups or organizations.
  • Monitor arrival and dismissal of students to discourage congregating and ensure students report directly to classrooms or designated areas.
  • Develop policies and procedures to address appropriate social distancing to accommodate essential parent/ guardian meetings, such as IEPs, disciplinary action, etc.[27]
 ”

The plan also includes the following recommendations to limit the spread of the coronavirus:

“
  • Minimize opportunities for sustained exposure (15 minutes or more) by ensuring sufficient social distancing with at least six feet between people whenever possible (e.g., adequate space exists in hallways, classrooms are large enough or class sizes are small enough, students and staff utilize large outdoor spaces).
  • Provide frequent reminders for students and staff to stay at least six feet apart from one another.
  • When feasible, arrange desks or seating so that students are separated from one another by six feet. If it is not possible to arrange seating six feet apart, consider having all students sit facing the same direction (i.e., all sitting on the same side of a table).
  • Designate hallways as one-way, posting directional reminders on the walls and/or floor.
  • Designate entrance and exit doors for classrooms and restrooms to reduce people meeting face-to-face.
  • Keep students and teachers in small core groups as much as possible during the day, and from day-to-day. Limit mixing between core groups (e.g., during recess, lunch, arrival and dismissal).
  • Suspend activities that involve bringing together large groups of people or activities that do not allow for social distancing, including assemblies, large groups using playground equipment simultaneously, etc.
  • Whenever possible, conduct events such as field trips, parents/family meetings, assemblies and performances virtually.[27]
 ”

To view cleaning and hygiene guidelines for schools, students, and staff, click here (page 12).

Transportation and busing requirements and restrictions

West Virginia’s reopening plan contains the following requirements for schools and counties coordinating transportation for in-person and blended learning:

“
  • Require bus drivers to wear face coverings/shields any time children are entering or exiting the bus.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces in the vehicle (e.g., surfaces in the driver’s cockpit, hard seats, arm rests, door handles, seat belt buckles, light and air controls, doors and windows, and grab handles) before all routes.
  • Fully clean and disinfect transportation vehicles regularly and/or as needed. Children must not be present when a vehicle is being cleaned.
  • Develop procedures for the proper disposal and/or laundering of cleaning supplies after use.
  • Keep doors and windows open when cleaning the vehicle and between trips to let the vehicles thoroughly air out.
  • Clean, sanitize and disinfect equipment including items such as car seats, wheelchairs, walkers and adaptive equipment being transported to schools.
  • Ensure safe and correct use and storage of cleaning and disinfectant products, including storing products securely away from children and providing adequate ventilation when staff use such products.
  • Provide hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol) to support healthy hygiene behaviors on all school transportation vehicles for safe use by staff and older children.
    • Hand sanitizer should only remain in school vehicles while they are in use as heat and direct sunlight can degrade its effectiveness.
    • Systematically and frequently check and refill hand sanitizers.
  • Require teachers and students to view “Safe Bus Loading & Unloading Procedures” video to address best practices related to transportation safety.
  • Develop seating arrangements and protocols to limit the number of students to no more than two per seat. Face coverings are recommended. The school county may provide face coverings for students if they do not have one.[27]
 ”

West Virginia recommends schools take the following steps to ensure safe transportation for students:

“
  • Utilize seating arrangements that require siblings and/or any students who cohabitate to sit together. Students living in the same household may be permitted to sit three to a seat, when possible. Keep bus stop groups of students together in the same section of the bus. WVBE Policy 2525 stipulations for pre-k students still apply.
  • Design appropriate bus loading and unloading procedures and/or seating charts to minimize contact between students.
  • If appropriate and safe, consider keeping windows open while the vehicle is in motion to help reduce spread of the virus by increasing air circulation.
  • Evaluate each bus route to safely maximize occupancy and capacity to ensure bus loads are equalized.
  • Create a contingency plan for the transportation of students who may experience any COVID-19 symptoms during the course of the school day.
  • When feasible, utilize procedures for loading and unloading buses to limit the number of students entering/ exiting the building at one time.
    • Mask policy on buses
    • Capacity limits on buses
    • Changes to rules for student drop-off[27]
 ”

Map of school closures

The map below shows the status of school reopenings and closures at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year.

As of July 8, 2021, the status of school closures and reopenings was as follows:

  • Two states (Delaware, Hawaii) and Washington, D.C. had state-ordered regional school closures, required closures for certain grade levels, or allowed hybrid instruction only.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 410,896 students (0.81% of students nationwide)
  • Thirteen states had state-ordered in-person instruction.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 15,697,460 students (30.96% of students nationwide)
  • One state (Arizona) had state-ordered in-person instruction for certain grades.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 1,152,586 students (2.27% of students nationwide)
  • Thirty-four states left decisions to schools or districts.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 33,449,499 students (65.96% of students nationwide)



School reopenings and closures (2019-2020 academic year)

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2019-2020 academic year


The map below shows the status of school reopenings and closures at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year.

  • States closed to in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year: 48
  • Number of public school students in states closed to in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year: 50,261,464


The chart below shows the first date schools in a state were closed to in-person instruction during the 2019-2020 academic year, divided by the political party of the governor.

School responses by state

To read about school responses to the coronavirus pandemic in others states, click one of the following links below:

General resources

The chart below shows coronavirus statistics from countries across the world. The information is provided by Real Clear Politics.

Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Number of operating public schools and districts, student membership, teachers, and pupil/teacher ratio, by state or jurisdiction: School year 2019–20," accessed September 10, 2021
  2. ↑ EducationWeek, "Map: Where Were Schools Required to Be Open for the 2020-21 School Year?," June 14, 2021
  3. ↑ To read more about Burbio's school disruption tracking, click here
  4. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed August 27, 2021
  5. ↑ Burbio rated West Virginia's in-person index at 100. To read more about Burbio's school opening tracker, click here. To read more about Burbio's methodology, click here.
  6. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed Oct. 8, 2021
  7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named WV324
  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named WV119
  9. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named WV1230
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named WV1210
  11. ↑ The Intelligencer, "Updated: West Virginia adds gold color to COVID-19 map; metrics on school re-entry change again," September 15, 2020
  12. ↑ Burbio rated West Virginia's in-person index between 0-20. To read more about Burbio's school opening tracker, click here. To read more about Burbio's methodology, click here.
  13. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed Oct. 8, 2021
  14. ↑ Governor of West Virginia, "COVID-19 UPDATE: Gov. Justice announces West Virginia School Re-entry Metrics and Protocols," August 14, 2020
  15. ↑ Governor of West Virginia, "COVID-19 UPDATE: Gov. Justice announces reopening plan for West Virginia schools," August 5, 2020
  16. ↑ CBS News Pittsburgh, "Coronavirus In West Virginia: Schools Closed For Rest Of Academic Year Amid Virus Threat," April 21, 2020
  17. ↑ WVNS, "WV primary election postponed to June 9, schools closed until April 30," April 1, 2020
  18. ↑ WTOV, "Justice: West Virginia public schools closed through April 20," March 25, 2020
  19. ↑ Office of the Governor of West Virginia, "COVID-19 UPDATE: Gov. Justice announces closure of West Virginia schools," March 13, 2020
  20. ↑ On Sept. 2, 2021 the ban was temporarily suspended by court action. An appeals court upheld the ban on Sept. 10.
  21. ↑ Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) ended the statewide school mask requirement on Feb. 28, 2022.
  22. ↑ On Sept. 13, 2021 the ban was temporarily suspended by court action for all schools. On Jan. 25, 2022, the ban was partially reinstated.
  23. ↑ Oct. 26, 2021 - School districts could be exempt from the school mask requirement if they followed CDC quarantine guidance
  24. ↑ Dec. 7, 2021 - School districts could be exempt from the school mask requirement if they met one of the three following criteria: 1) the county vaccination rate was 80% or higher, 2) 80% of school staff and students were vaccinated, or 3) COVID-19 transmission in the county was considered moderate or low for 14 straight days.
  25. ↑ Oct. 1 - Schools could become exempt from the school mask requirement when at least 80% of students were vaccinated
  26. ↑ On Nov. 10, 2021 the ban was suspended by court action. An appeals court upheld the ban on Dec. 1.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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