The Senate Education Committee met this morning to discuss two bills.
Senate Bill 40 would require inclusion of protocols for response to after-school emergencies in school crisis response plans. This would give sports based after school activities a plan for if someone got hurt in an after school practice.
Senator Trump (R-Morgan) clarified that there would still be protections in place for capable citizens in case they decided to deliver aid on site.
The bill was reported to the full Senate with the recommendation that it pass.
Senate Bill 656 relates to student data accessibility, transparency and accountability act. This would make some specific rules in regards to the ACT so that they don’t release information that students or parents don’t want released. Council said the intent of the bill was so that the ACT can receive payment for the release of the information. It will also serve as a recruitment tool because businesses will be able to request information. The bill allows for schools to send prospective students scholarship and recruitment material as well.
Senator Unger (D-Berkeley) said, “To me this raises privacy issues. These companies could start farming information for these students. I’m a little concerned.”
Heather Hutchins, general counsel for the Department of Education, said the bill is especially for students who won’t be doing post-secondary education after high school, with the adoption of the ACT as West Virginia’s standardized test. The bill would allow for the sharing of the score for recruiting purposes without having to take the test again in a private setting for those who wish to do so. There would also be mechanisms to send those scores to schools but they would be difficult.
Senator Azinger (R-Wood) made sure that guardians were included in those who could send scores as well.
Senator Karnes (R-Upshur) moved to amend the bill so if the student was younger than 18 then they must have their parent or guardian’s permission to send the scores. Senator Trump then moved to amend the amendment so that if it was 15 or younger. The amendment was adopted.
The bill was reported to the full Senate with the recommendation that it pass.
