H. B. 2709
(By Delegates Henderson, Webb and Walters)
[Introduced March 25, 1997; referred to the
Committee on Education.]
A BILL to amend and reenact section two, article six, chapter
eighteen of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine
hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to making driver
education in secondary schools discretionary beginning with
the school year one thousand nine hundred ninety-seven.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section two, article six, chapter eighteen of the code
of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as
amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 6. DRIVER EDUCATION.
§18-6-2. Where provided.
No later than the first day of the public school term
beginning in the year one thousand nine hundred seventy-three,
Effective the first day of the public school term beginning in the year one thousand nine hundred ninety-seven, there shall may
be offered in all public secondary schools within the state an
approved, comprehensive course in driver education.
As the first priority, The driver education course shall may
be made available at no cost to all secondary school pupils at or
about the time they reach licensing age.
As the second priority, the driver education course shall be
made available to all persons who do not attend secondary schools
who have reached their sixteenth birthday and are under eighteen
years of age. County boards of education may require the persons
described in this paragraph who enroll in a public secondary
school driver education course to pay tuition not to exceed fifty
dollars.
As the third priority, the driver education course shall be
made available to all persons who do not attend secondary school
who are eighteen years of age or older, but first consideration
for persons in this age group shall be given to those who are
applying for their first operator's license. County boards of
education may require the persons described in this paragraph who
enroll in a public secondary school driver education course to
pay tuition not to exceed seventy-five dollars.
In those counties where sufficient public secondary school
driver education courses are not available to meet all requests
for the course, county boards of education shall, as quickly as possible, make sufficient courses available to fill those
requests.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to make driver education
in the secondary schools discretionary, beginning with the 1997
school year.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken
from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language
that would be added.