Week 5 (February 5-9)
The 2024 regular session of the West Virginia Legislature is now more than halfway over. This year's 60-day will end at midnight on March 11. Next week will be the last day to introduce bills in the House on February 13 and the Senate on February 19. The Education Alliance is now tracking over 225 education-related bills.
House Education
HB 4919 - Relating to the Promise Scholarship. The purpose of this bill is to permit a student to reapply for the Promise Scholarship on an annual basis if that student falls out of eligibility during the academic year in college. The bill passed in House Education and heads to House Finance.
HB 4951 - To facilitate the interstate practice of School Psychology in educational or school settings. This bill aims to improve the availability of School Psychological Services to the public by establishing a pathway to allow School Psychologists to obtain equivalent licenses in any Member State to ensure that safe and effective School Psychological Services are available and delivered by appropriately qualified professionals in their educational settings. The bill was introduced in the House. House Education introduced a substitute, do pass and is on 1st reading on Special Calendar.
HB 4986 - Relating to computer science and cybersecurity instruction for adult learners. The bill was introduced in the House. House Education made a substitute, do pass and is on 1st reading on Special Calendar.
HB 5262 - Relating generally to teacher’s bill of rights. This legislation establishes a Teacher's Bill of Rights, outlining counselor duties, data provision, special education student ratios, compensation for exceeding ratios, and supplemental duty provisions. It prohibits sanctions in specific cases and offers resources like liability insurance for classroom teachers, as well as teacher quality assistance. Additionally, it clarifies the process for student removal. The bill was introduced in the House. House Education made a substitute, do pass and is on 1st reading on Special Calendar.
HB 5435 - Establishing the registered apprenticeship to associate of applied science program to be administered by the Council for Community and Technical College Education. This bill was introduced in the House, House Education do pass with amendment but first to House Finance.
Senate Education
SB 466 - Requiring State Board of Education develop Safety While Accessing Technology education program. The Senate passed this bill on Monday that would require the development of a Safety While Accessing Technology (SWAT) education program in elementary and secondary schools. The bill would require schools to provide instruction on the risks associated with sharing sexually suggestive or sexually explicit materials, the legal and criminal consequences, and other long-term and unforeseen consequences associated with sharing the materials. The SWAT program is intended to show students the potential connection between sharing sexually suggestive or sexually explicit materials and the sharing of those materials by others, bullying, cyberbullying, extortion, and human trafficking. The legislation now heads to the House of Delegates for consideration. To read more, click here.
SB 614 - Specifying requirements for appropriate elementary behavior intervention and safety. This bill specifies requirements for appropriate elementary behavior intervention and safety. It would require students in kindergarten through sixth grade whose behavior in the classroom is violent, threatening or intimidating toward staff and fellow students and impedes the learning environment to be placed in a county behavioral intervention program. The Senate Education Committee recommended a committee substitute for passage, sending the bill to the full Senate. To read more, click here.
SB 568 - Creating multi-tiered system for school absenteeism. This bill aims to shift the focus from truancy to a multi-tiered system of support for all absences, excused and unexcused. It sets limits on parental excuses, mandates MTSS interventions, acknowledges neglect includes educational failure, refers to existing reporting requirements for school personnel, and allows discretion in referring truancy cases to diversion programs. The bill was introduced in the Senate and sent to Senate Education. To read more, click here.
SB 521 - Relating generally to payment of bus aides. This bill mandates that when a county board compensates bus operators for missed runs, special needs bus aides under extracurricular agreements must be assigned to schools with alternate duties and paid at their normal rate for those days.This bill was introduced in the Senate and sent to Senate Education.