ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The following partners will vet and review the COVID-19 Outbreak to Recovery Plan.
» Office of Governor Jim Justice
National Resources and Research Partners
» Communities In Schools
» Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)
» Education Commission of the States (ECS)
» Hanover Research
» Hunt Institute
State Partners
» Disability Rights of West Virginia
» Early Childhood Education Advisory Council (ECAC)
» The Education Alliance
» Our Future WV
» West Virginia Advisory Council for the Education
of Exceptional Children
» West Virginia American Civil Liberties (WVACLU)
» West Virginia Association of School
Administrators (WVASA)
» West Virginia Association of School Business
Officials (WVASBO)
» West Virginia Association of School Nurses
» West Virginia Broadband Council
» West Virginia Council of Administrators of
Special Education
» West Virginia Council of School Nurses
» West Virginia Economic Development Authority
» West Virginia Department of Agriculture
» West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and
History
» West Virginia Department of Commerce
» West Virginia Department of Health and Human
Resources (WVDHHR)
» West Virginia Education Association (WVEA)
» West Virginia Elementary and Middle School
Principals Association (WVAEMSP)
For more information about West Virginia’s COVID-19 response, visit wvde.us/covid19.
T VIRGIN
» West Virginia Board of Education ES WEST V I
W
OF IR
A
E
GI
STAT
DE PA RT
T IO N
NI A
» Southern Regional Education Board (SREB)
M
CA
O I
ER
M
.
NT
AN IB
I SEMPER L
» State Board Insight (NASBE) EN U
T OF E D
» United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
» United States Department of Education (USDE)
COV ID -19 2020
» West Virginia American Federation of Teachers
OUTBREAK TO RECOVERY
(AFT-WV)
» West Virginia Association of Secondary School
Principals (WVASSP)
» West Virginia Higher Education Policy
Commission
» West Virginia House and Senate Education
Chairs
» West Virginia National Guard
» West Virginia Office of Technology (WVOT)
S
» West Virginia Parent Teacher Association
tate Superintendent of Schools W. Clayton Burch has commissioned the COVID-19
(WVPTA)
2020: Outbreak to Recovery Advisory Council. This reentry advisory group will
» West Virginia Primary Care Association
address three phases to recovery for the public education community. The outbreak
» West Virginia Professional Educators Association
of COVID-19 and the subsequent national and state emergencies have served as a wake-
» West Virginia Public Broadcasting Service (WVPBS) up call regarding equity and access of remote learning, educational technology, and
» West Virginia Public Education Collaborative intervention resources. With each national, state or regional crisis, systemic challenges
(WVPEC) are always uncovered. The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE), along with the
» West Virginia School Boards Association (WVSBA) rest of the state and the nation, witnessed this disparity first-hand and the impact it has
» West Virginia School Building Authority (WVSBA) had on the delivery of remote learning programs.
» West Virginia School Counselors Association
» West Virginia School Psychologists’ Association Most states have used their technology system as a crisis intervention to support their
» West Virginia School Service Personnel schools in reaching their students while buildings were on lockdown as they tried to
Association (WVSSP) mitigate the negative impact to learning COVID-19 had on students and educators.
» West Virginia Secondary School Activities In West Virginia, the digital divide was more than a chasm; it was a canyon that has
Commission (WVSSAC) separated the technological haves and have-nots. The WVDE will address disparity and
other challenges through the combined energy, research, expertise, commitment and
intentionality of the members of the Outbreak to Recovery Advisory Council.
Revised 060820
 Purpose: To provide a reentry planning resource that is in line with the West Virginia Board of NINE FOCUSED AREAS
Education Strategic Plan and priorities.
The WVDE has nine selected focus areas of information to include instruction, child nutrition, finance,
Goals: To ensure student and educator needs are met during COVID-19. extracurricular activities, special education, physical and social/emotional wellness, career technical
» Address learning needs for all students in different learning settings. education (CTE), safe schools and transportation, and technology requirements for all students and/or
» Support county and school leaders and educators as we work toward solutions. staff. The WVDE leadership will focus this reentry work around these targeted areas. Each focus area will
» Leverage national and state resources to provide the bandwidth and hardware needed by our include several subcommittee members to organize the work.
students.

THREE PHASES TO REENTRY AND RECOVERY INSTRUCTION/

PHYSICAL &
SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL CAREER TECHNICAL
LEARNING WELLNESS EDUCATION (CTE) SPECIAL
CHILD NUTRITION EDUCATION
Phase 1: Address the Essentials: The Current Situation Monica DellaMea
Joey Wiseman
Diana Whitlock
Stephanie Hayes
Cynthia Sorsaia
Clinton Burch
Rick Gillman Amanda Harrison Susan Beck
Anthony Crago Dawn Embrey-King
The WVDE has received clear direction provided by West Virginia Governor Jim Justice based on

$
health, education, and other experts regarding social distancing. These measures have resulted
in the continuation of remote learning for the remainder of the current school year. To support
continuous learning and overall child well-being, West Virginia remained committed to remote
SAFE SCHOOLS & FINANCE
student engagement and to providing millions of meals each week to students through the TRANSPORTATION EXTRACURRICULAR/ TECHNOLOGY
Tommy Young Amy Willard
EXTENDED ACTIVITIES
remainder of the school year. The WVDE also began to think about how to help counties provide Jonah Adkins Melanie Purkey Sarah Stewart
Bernie Dolan
Tim Conzett
Andy Whisman

continuous learning opportunities to students during the summer and is developing a plan
throughout the 2020-2021 school year and beyond.
CLOSING THE GAP:
Phase 2: Reentry: Establishing a New Normal EQUITY AND WELL-BEING EVERY STEP OF THE WAY
The WVDE will provide a website that will inform and guide county school districts into the fall
reentry into the school buildings if public health officials determine it is safe to lower social The study of current and emerging research regarding Achievement and Technology Gaps will guide
distancing measures. The WVDE will continue responding to the unique needs of individual us through the next five years and beyond. If education is to be the great equalizer, then special focus
students to ensure their successful transitions into school academics as well as their continued must be given to the teaching and learning inequities caused by the lack of access to technology. The
WVDE expects that at every phase direct focus will be given to closing the achievement gaps as well
social/emotional wellness.
as to the inequities further exacerbated by the state’s lack of broadband and hardware access for West
Virginia learners and teachers. Nationally, one of the most concerning and provocative lessons learned
Phase 3: Beyond 2020
from the COVID-19 pandemic is that states’ k-12 educational systems were caught without a consistent
If education is truly to be the great equalizer, consistent, long-term aggressive focus must be given
method to offer online learning to ensure the achievement gap does not widen in 2020. When several
to the inequities in teaching and learning caused by the digital divide and technology gap. The school districts throughout the country felt the odds were insurmountable, they discontinued remote
remedy is larger than any one state agency, organization, or individual can construct, and it will instruction and concluded the school year in late April, early May. West Virginia teachers rose to the
require thinking and action beyond the bounds of tradition. occasion and worked diligently to ensure every child had access to one caring adult.

Timeline: This advisory council timeline will be available for public review June 10, 2020. Broadband and technology access have been the point of discussion and debate for more than 20
years. The salient point has never been made clearer; specifically, these inequities inflict severe
academic limitations on populations already struggling to overcome the achievement gap.
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