HUNTINGTON, WV (WOWK) – The Cabell County Career and Technology Center already had safety rules and regulations in place before the pandemic hit.
The safety precautions include wearing face coverings, eyewear, gloves, and even respirators. But the staff are now facing the same threat that shut down the school in March, the COVID-19 pandemic.
The center is making some changes due to the threat of exposure. Cabell County career technology education director Frank Barnett says they are creating a cleaner work environment.
We’re making every kind of accommodation possible, there will be hand sanitizer in every room. Equipment will be sanitized. We have a hydrostatic sprayer that will spray a cleaner. We’re in the process now of marking our hallways for traffic flow.
Frank Barnett, Cabell County career technology education director
With social distancing in mind, Barnett says each classroom will have the sufficient amount of space to keep everyone 6-feet apart.
Areas like the “Construction Academy” and the “Motor Masters Automotive Technology” can hold 16 students while maintaining a safe distance between them.
But even with these new precautions, some parents are still concerned about their children’s safety.
With Cabell County schools’ “2020 back to school plan”, parents have the option of three phases:
- strictly remote or virtual learning
- in-person learning
- blended learning or a mix of in-person and virtual learning.
Barnett says he believes the strictly remote option would be a challenge for students and he is encouraging parents to either go for the in-person or blended learning phase.
Have you ever changed a tire remotely? Okay, that’s kind of where I’m coming from on this. A student can essentially choose to do virtual academics and do their shop. There’s not a huge amount of people in one room at one time and our shops are large enough that we can facilitate social distancing and still allow those students to get their hands-on opportunity.
Frank Barnett, Cabell County career technology education director
For courses like the cosmetology program, students must wear face masks and outside personnel will not be allowed in the building during school hours.
Friday, July 31, 2020 is the deadline to register for a phase. However, registration will still be accepted past the deadline.
For more information on how to register, click here.
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