H. B. 4454

         (By Delegates Duke, Hamilton, Gearheart, Romine, Azinger, Nelson, Andes, Snuffer, Ireland, Rowan and Storch)

                   [Introduced February 8, 2012; referred to the

                        Committee on Education.]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-5-14a, relating to authorizing county school boards to adopt policies to promote school attendance.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

    That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-5-14a, to read as follows:

ARTICLE 5. COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION.

§18-5-14a. Policies to promote school attendance.

    (a) The board of education of each county may develop, modify, implement and enforce policies designed to promote school attendance. The policies may include, but are not limited to:

    (1) Reducing grades or denying credit for courses in which a student has excessive unexcused absences;

    (2) Requiring a student to make up a predetermined number of unexcused absences in order to receive credit for a course or preserve a grade in that course;

    (3) Allowing a student who has attended a predetermined number of classes to elect to have the grade received on an end of the grading period test for that class disregarded in the calculation of the grade reported for that period; and

    (4) Providing incentives for students whose attendance satisfies certain predetermined conditions.

    (b) County boards may use school funds to support incentive programs implemented in accordance with the policies.

    NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to authorize county school boards to develop policies to promote school attendance.

    This section is new; therefore, it has been completely underscored.