WEST virginia legislature

2020 regular session

Introduced

House Bill 4105

By Delegates  Atkinson, Higginbotham, Miller, J. Kelly, Lavender-Bowe, Ellington, Jennings, Cooper, D. Kelly, Waxman and Bibby

[Introduced January 13, 2020; Referred to the Committee on Education then Finance]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-2-25c, relating to requiring that public schools have full-time trainers on staff; requiring rulemaking; and allowing exceptions.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 2. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.

§18-2-25c. Public schools to have full-time trainers; rulemaking; exceptions.

(a) The State Board of Education shall provide by rule for every public school that has students participating in interscholastic athletics to have a full-time trainer on staff and that a trainer be in attendance at each athletic contest in which a public school participates.

(b)(1) The rules shall, at a minimum provide that:

(A) Trainers may maintain flexible hours so that they may attend contests after regular school hours; and

(B) Each trainer be a licensed athletic trainer under §30-20A-1 et seq. of this code or other licensed health care professional with training sufficient to be able to provide appropriate medical assistance at interscholastic athletic events;

(2) The rules may provide exceptions to the full-time requirement where:

(A) Funds are not available for fulltime trainers at each school; and

(B) There are projected to be an insufficient number of interscholastic athletic events to justify a full-time trainer.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require public schools to have full-time trainers on staff. The bill requires rulemaking and allows exceptions.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.