On the heels of what is expected to be another change to the state's color-coded map that determines school re-entry, Democratic candidate for governor Ben Salango is urging Governor Jim Justice to return control to local leaders.
"The lack of leadership at the state level has called chaos. Now schools are refusing to obey his executive orders. We have parents protesting at the capitol. We have private schools going rogue, not paying attention to his executive orders and that's all a direct result of his leadership," Salango said during a virtual press conference Tuesday morning.
Salango specifically urged the Republican governor to allow local elected officials to have control of school re-entry and sports.
"It's time to take politics out of our school re-entry plan and out of our ability to participate in sports. Parents, students and educators need predictability, they need consistency, they need structure," he said.
Salango blasted Justice's changing of the rules pertaining to school re-entry. "Keep in mind, it was just a month ago that he announced this color-coded system. Today, I believe, it's going to be his sixth change to the color-coded system."
Salango said the state needs new reporting tools and "beefed up" contract tracing for all schools so that each school district and families can make informed decisions. He believes parents are confused over the map changes and want consistency and predictability.
At 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Justice will be holding a press conference to discuss any potential changes to the color-coded map. Eyewitness News will be airing his remarks live on ABC and on our website and Facebook pages.