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Offering up hope while being realistic

“I’m not going to do something that denies our kids some level of hope. Our kids are sitting at home right now very hopeful that they’ll get to go back to school, and I’m not ready to throw the towel in as of yet.”

That was a statement offered by Gov. Jim Justice Thursday when discussing the possibility of still having a school year in West Virginia despite the ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic spreading across the globe.

The comments were offered after a bipartisan group of legislative leaders requested state school officials to consider closing schools for the remainder of the year.

Right now, the state’s schools are on target to stay closed until April 30, falling in line with the continuing “social distancing” guidelines recommended by the federal government. If schools would reopen at that point, and that’s a big if, there would then be two to possibly five weeks remaining of the school year before it must come to an end.

Along with the governor’s comments about wanting to provide hope, Acting state Superintendent of Schools Clayton Burch said he thought it was more important to be optimistic and provide “a single message” from state government.

I can understand that thought, but it might be misplaced in this situation.

Trying to offer hope is great, especially at a time when there are some who may not have much. At the same time, being a leader often means being up front and honest about the situation at hand. We are at a serious time in our nation’s and world’s history. The future is uncertain, and we really don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, let alone in a month’s time.

We need to be able to understand that. We need to know there is uncertainty, and there are going to be massive adjustments in our lives for some time. Even once the “all clear” is given, it is going to take some time to return to anywhere near what had been normal.

As leaders, elected officials often are asked to look toward the future. They discuss charting a course and establishing a foundation from which we can build. They work to prepare the environment for the work needed in order to reach the goal.

They also need to be realistic. We know this is a difficult time. We know a lot can change, and will change, and setting arbitrary deadlines isn’t going to make that any different.

West Virginia got a late start in even beginning to test its residents for this virus. It’s nothing to celebrate. We have lower numbers than many other states because we weren’t doing what we should have been. The virus was here. We just didn’t know it.

Now, the numbers are increasing. We are seeing patterns emerge, with higher numbers in areas with more dense populations and along the state’s borders.

This is all one, big, unknown situation. There is no vaccine, although several efforts to create one are in the works. We don’t know for certain how long the virus will be circulating. The weather is getting warmer, but it’s still here. It is going to work its way through the population, and could possibly come back as other viruses do.

My hope is that we are taking advice from medical professionals to heart, and becoming better prepared for situations like this.

As for those in charge, provide hope at the appropriate times and in the proper manners, but also be realistic in your approach and your message.

(Howell, a resident of Colliers, is managing editor of The Weirton Daily Times, and can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com or followed on Twitter @CHowellWDT)

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