December 20th, 2020 by WCBC Radio
The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) has posted the December 19, 2020, Saturday Education Map that determines which counties will hold in-person and blended instruction. The map is developed with information from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) and vetted by the COVID-19 Data Review Panel.
The weekly updates are posted at https://wvde.us/reentrymetrics. County plans should be reviewed for additional requirements.
Red (Substantial Community Transmission): Counties must move to remote learning. Staff may report to their schools, as determined by the county. Essential support services, including special education and meals, will continue.
Red counties include:
| Berkeley | Boone | Brooke | Doddridge |
| Grant | Greenbrier | Hampshire | Hancock |
| Hardy | Jackson | Lincoln | Logan |
| Marshall | Mason | Mineral | Mingo |
| Monongalia | Morgan | Ohio | Pleasants |
| Preston | Ritchie | Tyler | Wayne |
| Wood |
Orange (Heightened Community Transmission): Remote learning required. Staff may report to their schools, as determined by the county. Essential support services, including special education and meals, will continue.
Orange counties include:
| Barbour | Braxton | Cabell | Clay |
| Fayette | Gilmer | Harrison | Jefferson |
| Kanawha | Marion | Mercer | Nicholas |
| Pendleton | Pocahontas | Putnam | Raleigh |
| Taylor | Upshur | Webster | Wetzel |
| Wirt | Wyoming |
Gold (Elevated Community Transmission): In-person instruction permitted with increased mitigations including face coverings for children grades 3 and above at all times.
Gold counties include:
| Calhoun | Lewis | Monroe | Tucker |
Yellow (Increased Community Transmission): Counties will continue with in-person instruction. Health and safety precautions include, at a minimum, face coverings at all times for grades 3 and above.
Yellow counties include:
| Randolph | Roane | Summers |
Green (Minimal Community Transmission): Health and safety precautions include, at a minimum, face coverings in grades 3 and above on school buses and when inside of school facilities.
Green counties include:
| McDowell |
The COVID-19 Data Review Panel reviewed and verified the data used to inform the WVDE Saturday Education Map to ensure both accuracy and reliability. The panel considered data captured at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, December 17, 2020. As a result, there may be differences between the WVDE map and the DHHR County Alert Map.
The county color announced each Saturday will be in effect until the following Saturday with the exception of a county turning red during the course of the week. Once reviewed, that change may be made immediately to the WVDE map because all in-person instruction would be suspended.
Counties that voluntarily move into remote learning (prior to being given the color orange or red designation by the DHHR or the Data Review Panel) will be identified with red asterisks on the map.
All schools, both public and private, are expected to adhere to the WVDE Saturday Education Map. Winter sports have been suspended until January 11, 2021, by order of the Governor.
For information about the data that guides the color-coded map or the Data Review Panel, please contact the DHHR at DHHRCommunications@wv.gov.
For additional details, contact WVDE Director of Communications Christy Day at Christy.Day@k12.wv.us or 304-558-2699 (office).
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