×

Randolph approves blended calendar

ELKINS — Following direction provided by the West Virginia State Board of Education, Randolph County Schools officials approved a blended calendar for students this week.

Throughout the remainder of January and the entire month of February, students in Randolph County will follow a blended calendar, attending school in person two days per week.

The Randolph County Board of Education voted 4-1 on Thursday evening to approve the blended calendar through February. Officials will make decisions about the remaining months in the school year at a later date, taking into account changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lisa Wamsley, board president; Janie Newlon, board vice president; Melodee Price, board member; and Rachel Anger, board member, voted to approve the blended calendar proposed by Superintendent Debbie Schmidlen.

Board member Amanda Smith was the lone dissenting vote, stating she would have liked to see a proposed calendar with students attending more than two days per week.

Students with last names beginning with the letters A through L will return to school on Tuesday, Jan. 19 and Wednesday, Jan., 20, while students with last names beginning with the letters M through Z will return Thursday, Jan. 21 and Friday, Jan. 22.

Monday, Jan. 18 is a federal holiday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and there will be no school. In subsequent weeks of the calendar, Wednesdays will be At Home Learning Days.

As directed by the state board, students in grades kindergarten through eighth will attend school regardless of the color coded map created by the Department of Health and Human Resources. However, if the county is deemed “red” according to the map, students in grades 9-12 will revert to remote learning from home.

As previously approved by the Randolph County BOE, and instructed by the state board, distant learners will return to in-person learning.

According to the approved calendar for Randolph County, distant learners will complete the remainder of the first semester as “distant” and return to school Jan. 25 for the start of the second semester.

The approved January and February calendars can be found on the Randolph County Schools’ website and Facebook page.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $3.92/week.

Subscribe Today