KINGWOOD — Preston County Schools is switching to remote learning effective Sept. 14.
Superintendent Stephen Wotring announced the closure of schools at about 12:30 p.m. Monday.
“Unfortunately this is a message that I did not want to have to deliver to our students, to our parents, to our teachers, and to Preston County, but as we are once again in the midst of a COVID crisis we must take immediate action,” Wotring said in a YouTube video. “Today in Preston County Schools we have right at 1,000 students who are absent. I can’t confirm that all of those are COVID-related, even though we know that many are COVID-positive or quarantined because of an exposure to an individual who tested positive.”
Wotring said they are also having trouble filling classrooms with staff.
“Today, I have eight classrooms who are unfilled because we just do not have substitutes to fill all the vacancies that we have,” Wotring said. “This includes both service personnel and professional personnel.”
Starting Sept. 14, schools will be closed and students will be on remote learning until at least Sept. 27, Wotring announced. All sports and extracurricular activities are canceled.
Teachers will spend Tuesday and Wednesday preparing for full remote learning, which will officially start Thursday, Wotring said.
Students may have paper assignments to complete or will have online assignments Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Preston County Schools Facebook page.
“Therefore, students should continue to login to Seesaw and Schoology to check for assignments,” the Facebook post said. “Students should continue lessons already assigned, practice reading and math skills on iReady (K-8) and Exact Path (9-12) and complete any other lessons assigned by their classroom teachers.”
Wotring said a survey will be posted on prestoncountyschools.com and the Facebook page Monday to sign up for remote meals.
“One thing that will be different this time is that the meal boxes will be delivered to your doorstep,” Wotring said. They will be delivered by FedEx. In order to get meals for this week, the survey needs to be filled out by Tuesday evening.
“I will try to keep you posted as we move along. I am so sorry that we find ourselves in the midst of this crisis once again but for now, it’s the decision we have to make,” Wotring said. “Please, my prayer is that you stay safe, take every precaution you possibly can and we hopefully will be able to restart in person on September 27th. Thank you.”
TWEET @DominionPostWV
