H. B. 2286
(By Delegates Williams, Beach, DeLong,
Perry, Martin and Cann)
[Introduced February 11, 2005; referred to the
Committee on Education.]
A BILL to Bill Titleamend the code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by
adding thereto a new section, designated §18-2E-8e, relating
to the sounding of Taps at Title Languageveteran's honors funerals;
encouraging community service by capable students; making
legislative findings and stating purpose; requiring
guidelines and distribution of certain information by state
board; requiring county board policy and specifying minimum
provisions; encouraging county board collaboration with
organizations to assist programs; and limiting county board
responsibility for certain costs, transportation and liability
for supervision.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That Enacting Sectionthe code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended
by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-2E-8e, to read as
follows:
ARTICLE 2E. HIGH QUALITY EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS.
§18-2E-8e. Veteran's honors funeral assistant community service program.
(a)
Findings. - The Legislature makes the following findings:
(1) Serving in the armed services in defense of the life,
liberty and pursuit of happiness enjoyed in our democratic society
involves a tremendous sacrifice on the behalf of those who serve,
often at the cost of their own lives;
(2) It is a fitting tribute to those who have served in the
armed forces and the families who have shared in their sacrifice to
honor that service and that sacrifice in the most respectful
manner;
(3) It is often difficult for the families of deceased
veterans who wish to lay their loved ones finally to rest in a
military honors funeral to find a bugler to sound their final Taps;
and
(4) Organizations within the state and nationally, such as the
Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, Bugles Across
America and many others, have recognized the difficulty of finding
buglers to sound Taps at military honors funerals and may be able
to assist.
(b)
Purpose. - The purpose of this section is to facilitate
collaboration that will encourage capable young people to assist
with the sounding of Taps at military funerals honoring our
veterans and, thereby, help them to develop a better understanding
of the sacrifices, a respect for the commitment and an appreciation of the privileges that the men and women of the armed services have
protected through their service.
(c)
State board guidelines. - The state board shall, in
collaboration with organizations and supporters of veterans,
establish general guidelines for the establishment of school level
programs that encourage capable students in grades six through
twelve, inclusive, to sound Taps on a standard or valved bugle,
trumpet, cornet or flugelhorn during military honors funerals held
in this state. The general guidelines shall address the issues to
be set forth in the county board policies required under this
section and shall include contact information for technical
assistance from the department of education and organizations and
supporters of veterans assisting in these programs. The state
board shall distribute the guidelines to every county board. The
state board shall also distribute an appropriate program summary
and contact information to the colleges and universities in the
state so that they may establish similar programs for their
students.
(d)
County board policies. - Each county board shall establish
a policy for the implementation of a veteran's honors funeral
assistant community service program that addresses at least the
following:
(1) The distribution of information to music and band teachers
for their use in notifying capable students and obtaining the consent of their parents or guardians for voluntary registry as a
candidate able to sound Taps during military honors funerals held
within a reasonable distance from their residence;
(2) The credit toward community service or work based learning
requirements of the county or other recognition that will be
awarded to a student for the registry and sounding of Taps during
military honors funerals; and
(3) The limits on the amount of regular classroom instruction
that a student may miss for the sounding of Taps during military
honors funerals to fulfill a community service or work based
learning requirement or, if none, on the excused absences that the
student may accrue for this activity.
County boards are not responsible for any costs associated
with the program, may not be required to provide or pay for student
transportation to funerals and are not liable for student
supervision while absent to participate in funerals. However,
county boards are encouraged to collaborate with organizations of
veterans and supporters of veterans to assist with the veteran's
honors funeral assistant community service program.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to increase the number of
buglers qualified to play taps at military honors funerals of
deceased veterans by encouraging the state board of education in
cooperation with county boards of education and colleges and
universities to develop programs for qualified student volunteers
to participate as buglers.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.