WEST virginia legislature

2021 regular session

Introduced

House Bill 3284

By Delegates Rowan, Miller, Toney, Dean, Paynter, and Cooper

[Introduced March 16, 2021; 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 §18A-3C-1a, relating to school personnel; requiring school boards to staff distinct personnel for in-person and virtual instruction.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 3C. IMPROVING TEACHING AND LEARNING.

§18A-3C-1a. Legislative findings; Districts to hire separate personnel for in-person and virtual learning.

(a) The Legislature finds that teachers in the public school system are under new and strenuous demands. Teachers cannot meet the needs of both virtual and in-person students adequately, as required by §18A-3C-1 of this code. Requiring teachers to teach both in-person and virtual students is requiring them to meet the requirements of two distinct teaching roles and thus the quality of instruction suffers.

(b) Public schools in the State of West Virginia shall staff separate and distinct teaching personnel for virtual and in-person instruction.

(1) If both in-person and virtual instruction is offered, county school boards shall staff separate teachers for the daily instruction of virtual students.

(2) County school boards may combine virtual classes from different schools for purposes of virtual instruction to meet the requirements of this section.

(c) This section shall take effect July 1, 2021. Provisions of this code in conflict with this section are void.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require county boards of education to staff separate and distinct personnel for in-person instruction.

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