MOUNDSVILLE — Students in Marshall County Schools who have been attending in-person classes two days a week will be doubling that come October.

On Wednesday, Superintendent Shelby Haines announced that schools would be shifting gears from Level 3 — two days of in-person instruction, with three days of remote learning — to Level 2, which will see all students who are attending in-person instruction on weekdays except for Wednesday, when schools will be cleaned. Students who are doing remote learning each day will not be affected. This change will take effect Oct. 5.

The decision to move to Level 2 was made after consultation with county faculty, service personnel, and the health department. Both Haines and health administrator Tom Cook stressed the benefits of in-person learning for students.

“We have been reviewing a lot of research from the (Centers for Disease Control) and the Centers of Pediatrics, and have decided that we need our kids to be in school … ,” Haines said. “We are going to take every precaution we possibly can — clean, wear masks, do everything we have been doing — but kids need teachers.”

Haines said the overwhelming teacher position was that they wanted their students to be back in classes, though their hopes were tinged with concern over their health.

Cook said a recent increase in COVID-19 cases in Marshall County was not believed to be related to schools. McNinch Primary and Sherrard Middle schools remain closed through Sept. 28 after one employee at each school was found to be positive for COVID-19.