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State must better serve our youth

King Bureaucracy likes to play by its own rules. We all know that in West Virginia. But a recently filed lawsuit suggests it might also be ignoring a nearly decade-old law — to the detriment of Mountain State youth. Back in 2015, Senate Bill 393 was introduced on behalf of Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, and UNANIMOUSLY passed by the House and Senate. It required the Division of Juvenile Services, the former Department of Health and Human Resources and the Department of Education to track and record outcomes of truancy diversion programs operated and funded by the West Virginia Supreme Court, ...

Improvements still needed in schools

Now that a new school year is upon us in West Virginia, it is worth taking a look at how well we’ve been doing for our students. According to WalletHub’s “States with the Best and Worst School Systems (2024),” the answer is … not so great. Overall performance put West Virginia at 46th on the list. For those who were bracing for our usual dead last, that number might be a relief, but the scant improvement is not enough. Two bright spots in WalletHub’s report are that the Mountain State ranks first for the lowest dropout rate; and we are 20th for school safety. Other data ...

Do what you can to protect children

It’s the start of a new school year — let the spreading of germs begin! If you are a parent or guardian who is not exactly enthusiastic about that prospect, it’s important to make sure your child is up-to-date on routine vaccines — and to consider a few others. According to a report by USA Today, children across the country are still getting caught up after a gap in wellness visits to pediatricians during the COVID-19 pandemic. That can mean a gap in protection against hepatitis B, rotavirus, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, haemophilus influenza type b, pneumococcal disease, ...

Even more ‘fixes’ for FAFSA

Remember the struggle last academic year as students and their families struggled to figure out the new “simplified” Free Application for Federal Student Aid? Well, the U.S. Department of Education is at it again, this time announcing a phased rollout for the 2025-26 form. That means it will be available to some students on Oct. 1, but not to everyone until Dec. 1. According to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal, this is an attempt to fix any issues that crop up while the first batch of students is working on the form. But, it means many other students will be two months behind ...

High school football is back

Our annual football edition is included with your newspaper today, marking the return of local high school sports for 2024. The high school football season, which officially opens this week in Ohio and next week in West Virginia, will be the topic of many conversations and will occupy the hearts and minds of fans from all parts of the region for at least the next 10 weeks — and, hopefully, beyond. With all of that in mind, members of our local sports staff, led by Sports Editor Andrew Grimm, have spent much of the last several weeks conducting interviews, taking photographs, ...

Standing at the edge of a cliff…again

West Virginia officials are developing a reputation for knowing — for a year or more — that a deadline is coming and sitting on their hands until it is time to act stunned there might be consequences for inaction. This time around, our state’s child care facilities are anxiously awaiting news that another $23 million in funding for child care reimbursements will come their way, to meet the requirements of new federal rules that take effect Sept. 1. Some have decided already to shut down, rather than continue to be at the mercy of those in Charleston. Lawmakers say this has ...