With eight counties kicking off the school year with virtual learning, time out of the classroom is putting a strain on some families.
Many don't have internet, child care or the time to be part parent, part teacher. One downtown Charleston business has come up with a possible solution – letting the kids come to work with their parents.
“As a law firm, our first priority is our clients,” Truman Griffith with Warner Law Office said. “We can’t take care of our clients if we don’t take care of our employees.”
The law office did just that by doubling the law office as a classroom for parents with kids who are doing e-learning.
Griffith’s son, Jack, is in first grade and he's using Schoology.
“This is my first year of it,” he said.
For the eight counties in red and orange, this is their first year doing virtual learning. A decision that was stressful on many, like full-time working parents.
“Just having that security knowing that she can come here with me, and she gets her work done,” Kim McQuain, paralegal, said. “I will admit there was a time whenever I thought we, I didn’t know what I was gonna do.”
Before the kids can come into the office, they have to get their temperature taken. If they have symptoms, they can't come inside.
With Kanawha County treading close to the red in the state’s color-coded map, who knows when kids will go back to school in person?
“We’d love for these kids be in school, but if they can’t we want them to be safe and we want them to be learning,” Griffith said. “If we’ve got them here in the office, that means we at least can accomplish those goals.”
There can be some distractions though with children being at the workplace.
“There’s a little bit of a distraction as you might see as my son Jack pops up here, but again it’s better than not having him do his work, and I can still get my work done,” Griffith said.
For the most part, parents love having their kids with them. For fourth-grader Kailyn McQuain, her favorite part?
“It’s being with my mom,” she said.
For now, parents and students both just hope school will open back up again.
“I’m also a firm believer that they need to be back in school. These kids, they need to see their friends, they need to interact and structure,” Kim McQuain said.