The House Education met this afternoon. Here is some of the legislation considered.
Markup & Passage
House Bill 2394, Alyssa’s law, requires the State Board of Education to work with the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to implement a wearable panic alert system. The bill requires county boards to ensure school personnel receive training on the protocol and appropriate use of the device.
House Bill 2499 creates an in-person training course for principals in public schools on the relating to the Individuals with Disability Education Act.
House Bill 2939 creates the Remote Schools Support Act. The bill defines an extreme remote school as a school located 20 or more miles from an existing public school, public charter school, or private school serving at least 20 students. The bill provides extremely remote schools to receive additional aid to keep the school open. The bill states no county board may close an extremely remote school.
House Bill 3295 establishes the Troops-to-Teachers program.
Committee Hearing
House Bill 2646 allows students to attend summer school between 8th and 9th grades in attempt to raise GPA to gain eligibility for extracurricular activities.
House Bill 2879, West Virginia Math, Science, and Special Education Teacher Scholarship Act, provides $2,000 to existing teachers who serve in a qualified position two years or $4,000 for six years. Teachers must be certified teachers with specialized in mathematics, science, or special education. The program would begin on January 1, 2026, and sunset on January 1, 2036.
House Bill 2610 provides a waiver of tuition and fees at state institutions of higher education and community and technical colleges for military veterans who has service-related disability of 50 percent or greater. The bill also expands to include their spouses and dependents.
