H. B. 2799
(By Delegates Fleischauer, Prezioso, Beach,
Smirl, Thomas, Amores and Michael)
[Introduced February 24, 1995; referred to the
Committee on Education then Finance.]
A BILL to amend article two, chapter eighteen of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended,
by adding thereto three new sections, designated sections
seven-c, seven-d and seven-e; and to amend and reenact
section seven-b of said article, relating to the state board
of education; programs in drug prevention and violence
reduction; curriculum; participation by nonpublic schools;
in-service training; funding sources; violence prevention
education grants; application; awards; proceeds; reports;
and a state multicultural education advisory committee.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article two, chapter eighteen of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be
amended by adding thereto three new sections, designated sections
seven-c, seven-d and seven-e; and that section seven-b of said
article two be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
§18-2-7b. Programs in drug prevention and violence reduction.
In order for the schools to become healthy learning
environments and to provide a strong defense against drug use and
violence, the state board of education shall prescribe programs
within the existing health and physical education program which
teach resistance and life skills to counteract societal and peer
pressure to use drugs, alcohol and tobacco, and shall include
counselors, teachers and staff in full implementation of the
program. The board shall also prescribe programs to coordinate
violence reduction efforts in schools and between schools and
their communities and to train students, teachers, counselors and
staff in conflict resolution skills. The program shall be
comprehensive, interdisciplinary and shall begin in elementary
school kindergarten and continue through grade twelve. The state
board superintendent shall report to the legislative oversight commission on education accountability on the status of the
programs no later than the first day of July, one thousand nine
hundred ninety-five.
§18-2-7c. Violence prevention education; curriculum;
participation by nonpublic schools; in-service training; and
funding sources.
(a) The superintendent of education, in consultation with
the secretary of health and human resources, state minority
councils, battered women's programs, sexual assault and domestic
violence centers and representatives of religious communities,
shall assist county boards of education in developing or
implementing a violence prevention program for students in
kindergarten through twelfth grade that can be integrated into
existing curricula. The purpose of the program is to help
students learn how to resolve conflicts within their families,
schools and communities in nonviolent, effective ways.
(b) Each county board of education is encouraged to
integrate into its existing curriculum a program for violence
prevention that includes at least:
(1) A comprehensive, accurate and age-appropriate curriculum
on violence prevention, nonviolent conflict resolution and sexual, racial and cultural harassment that promotes equality,
respect, understanding, effective communication, individual
responsibility, thoughtful decision making, positive conflict
resolution, useful coping skills, critical thinking, listening
and watching skills and personal safety;
(2) Planning materials, guidelines and other accurate
information on preventing physical and emotional violence,
identifying and reducing the incidence of sexual, racial and
cultural harassment and reducing child abuse and neglect;
(3) A special parent education component of early childhood
family education programs to prevent child abuse and neglect and
to promote positive parenting skills, giving priority to services
and outreach programs for at-risk families;
(4) Involvement of parents and other community members,
including the clergy, business representatives, civic leaders,
local elected officials, law-enforcement officials and the county
prosecuting attorney;
(5) Collaboration with local community services, agencies
and organizations that assist in violence intervention or
prevention, including family-based services, crisis services, life management skills services, case coordination services,
mental health services and early intervention services;
(6) Targeting early adolescents for prevention efforts,
especially early adolescents whose personal circumstances may
lead to violent or harassing behavior;
(7) Opportunities for teachers to receive in-service
training or attend other programs on strategies or curriculum
designed to assist students in intervening in or preventing
violence in school and at home; and
(8) Administrative policies that reflect, and a staff that
models, nonviolent behaviors that do not display or condone
sexual, racial, or cultural harassment.
(c) The state board may provide assistance at a neutral site
to any nonpublic school participating in a county board's
program.
(d) Each county board is encouraged to provide training for
staff and school board members to help students identify violence
in the family and the community so that students may learn to
resolve conflicts in effective, nonviolent ways. The in-service
training must be ongoing and involve experts familiar with domestic violence and personal safety issues.
(e) County boards may accept funds from public and private
sources for violence prevention programs developed and
implemented under this section.
§18-2-7d. Violence prevention education grants; funding;
application; awards; proceeds; and reports.
(a) The superintendent of education shall establish a
violence prevention education grant program to enable a county
board, a school district, or a group of county boards that
cooperate for a particular purpose to develop and implement or to
continue a violence prevention program for students in
kindergarten through grade twelve that can be integrated into
existing curricula. Funds for this grant program shall be made
available pursuant to the provisions of section ten, article
nine-a, chapter eighteen of this code. A county board or group
of boards that elects to develop and implement or to continue a
violence prevention program under section seven-c of this article
is eligible to apply for a grant under this section.
(b) To be eligible to receive a grant, a county board or a
group of boards that cooperate for a particular purpose must submit an application to the superintendent in the form and
manner and according to the timeline established by the
superintendent. The application must describe how the applicant
will: (1) Continue or integrate into its existing K-12
curriculum a program for violence prevention that contains the
program components listed in section seven-c of this article; (2)
collaborate with local organizations involved in violence
prevention and intervention; and (3) structure the program to
reflect the characteristics of the children, their families and
the community involved in the program. The superintendent may
require additional information from the applicant. When
reviewing the applications, the superintendent shall determine
whether the applicant has met the requirements of this
subsection.
(c) The superintendent may award grants for a violence
prevention education program to eligible applicants as defined in
subsection (b) of this section. Grant amounts may not exceed
three dollars per actual pupil unit in the county or group of
counties in the prior school year. Grant recipients should be
geographically distributed throughout the state.
(d) A successful applicant shall use the grant money to
develop and implement or to continue a violence prevention
program according to the terms of the grant application.
(e) A report detailing the costs and results of programs
funded under this section must be submitted to the chairs of the
legislative oversight commission on education by the fifteenth
day of January each year.
§18-2-7e. State multicultural education advisory committee.
(a) The superintendent shall appoint a state multicultural
education advisory committee to advise the department and the
state board on multicultural education. The committee must have
twelve members which include representatives from among the
following groups and community organizations: African-American,
American Indian, Asian-Pacific, Caucasian and Hispanic.
(b) The state committee shall provide information and
recommendations on:
(1) Department procedures for reviewing and approving county
plans and disseminating information on multicultural education;
(2) Department procedures for improving inclusive education
plans, curriculum and instruction improvement plans, and performance-based assessments;
(3) Developing learner outcomes which are multicultural; and
(4) Other recommendations that will further inclusive,
multicultural education.
(c) The committee shall also participate in determining the
criteria for and awarding the grants established under section
seven-d of this article.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to establish a curriculum
in grades K-12 in the public schools to help teach nonviolent
methods of conflict resolution and thereby reduce incidences of
violence in our families, schools and communities. The bill
provides for in-service training and family education, especially
for at-risk families and early adolescents whose circumstances
may lead to violent behavior. Funding for these programs may be
accepted from public or private sources. A grant program
administered by the state board and superintendent would also be
established, along with a commission to advise the state board
and department on multicultural education.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken
from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language
that would be added.
Sections seven-c, seven-d and seven-e are new; therefore,
strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.