Schools are starting to see an increase in the number of students missing school due to COVID. Students are quarantining due to getting sick or exposed. Teachers, as well, are having to miss school for the same reasons, adding to the teacher shortage that is already ongoing.
In West Virginia alone, there are almost 434,000 cases, with 4,000 new cases each day. With this many cases, schools are deciding between keeping students in school or sending them home to prevent illness.
“I think it should depend more on where the cases are. If they’re not really in the schools and more just in other parts of the county, then there isn’t any reason to cancel school,” EHS student Kenzie Phillips said.
In Randolph county, there is an average of almost 94 new cases every day, adding to the nearly 8,000 pre-existing cases.
“I feel like schools should close no matter where the cases are. If the number of cases is high, then I feel like we shouldn’t have to go to school to take the risk of getting sick,” Callie Loftis, another EHS student said.
The main objective of schools is to do what’s best for their students and ensuring their safety. They are faced with hard decisions every day, and this is just another one of them.