The Senate Education Committee has approved six bills to be reported to the full Senate with the recommendation that they pass.
HB 2637 would extend the date for expiration of provisions related to the employment of a retired teacher as a substitute beyond the post-retirement limit in areas of critical need and shortage to June 30, 2020.
Committee counsel amended the bill to clarify language related to additional faculty senate involvement.
HB 2651 would require nationally normed standardized achievement tests to be administered to nonpublic students between the ages of seven and 17.
HB 2799 would prohibit a superintendent of schools from requiring a physical examination to be included to the application for a minor’s work permit, unless it is required by the prospective employer.
HB 2887 would authorize Boards of Governors of institutions of higher education to develop retirement and incentive packages.
The bill will be referred to Senate Finance once reported to the floor.
HB 3095 would allow retired teachers to be employed by a higher education institution, the Higher Education Policy Commission or the Council for Community and Technical College Education without forfeiting their retirement.
HB 2571 would require the State Department of Education and the Schools for the Deaf and the Blind to jointly select language developmental milestones from existing standardized norms for purposes of developing a resource for use by parents to monitor and track deaf and hard-of-hearing children’s expressive and receptive language acquisition and developmental stages toward English literacy.
Dr. Jodi Cottrell of the Marshall University College of Health Professions said the bill also needs to include the assessment of Listening and Spoken Language, which she said is a viable English literacy option that is used by many deaf children.
A representative of the DHHR said the department was concerned that there were no data-collection measures in the bill and no provisions for what will be done if a child fails an assessment.
Antonia Vaughan, a professional educational interpreter for Kanawha County schools, said Listening and Spoken Language provisions are included in language that involves speaking and understanding English.
Vaughan also said there are provisions in the bill for data collection.
Dr. Rikki Lowe, director of special education for Lincoln County schools, said the bill shows a good collaboration to help improve IEPs and should be passed.
“Parents have a choice, and we need to support this choice,” Lowe said.
Senator Robert Karnes, R-Upshur, requested committee counsel to draft the bill into a concurrent resolution for further study of the bill’s provisions. The committee approved the motion.
The committee is in recess until 5 p.m. this evening.
