West Virginia
Legislature
2017 Regular Session
Introduced
House Bill 2073
By Delegate Rodighiero
[Introduced February 8, 2017;
referred to the
Committee on Education then
the Judiciary.]
A BILL to amend and
reenact §18-2-9 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to
courses of instruction in all schools located within this state; and making
available elective courses on the history of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.
Be it enacted by the
Legislature of West Virginia:
That §18-2-9 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
§18-2-9. Required courses of instruction; violation
and penalty.
(a) In all public, private, parochial and denominational schools
located within this state, there shall be given prior to the completion of the
eighth grade at least one year of instruction in the history of the State of
West Virginia. The schools shall require
regular courses of instruction by the completion of the twelfth grade in the
history of the United States, in civics, in the Constitution of the United
States, and in the government of the State of West Virginia for the
purpose of teaching, fostering and perpetuating the ideals, principles and
spirit of political and economic democracy in America and increasing the
knowledge of the organization and machinery of the government of the United
States and of the State of West Virginia and making available, as an
elective course of instruction, the history of the Old and New Testaments of
the Bible. The state board shall,
with the advice of the state superintendent, prescribe the courses of study
covering these subjects for the public schools.
It shall be the duty of The officials or boards having authority
over the respective private, parochial and denominational schools to shall
prescribe courses of study for the schools under their control and supervision
similar to those required for the public schools. To further such study, every high school
student eligible by age for voter registration shall be afforded the
opportunity to register to vote pursuant to section twenty-two, article two,
chapter three of this code.
(b) The state board shall cause to be taught in all of the public
schools of this state the subject of health education, including instruction in
any of the grades six through twelve as considered appropriate by the county
board, on: (1) The prevention,
transmission and spread of acquired immune deficiency syndrome and other
sexually transmitted diseases; (2) substance abuse, including the nature of
alcoholic drinks and narcotics, tobacco products, and other potentially harmful
drugs, with special instruction as to their effect upon the human system and
upon society in general; (3) the importance of healthy eating and physical
activity to maintaining healthy weight; and (4) education concerning CPR and
First Aid. The course curriculum
requirements and materials for the instruction shall be adopted by the state
board by rule in consultation with the Department of Health and Human
Resources. The state board shall
prescribe a standardized health education assessment to be administered within
health education classes to measure student health knowledge and program
effectiveness.
An opportunity shall be afforded to the parent or guardian of a
child subject to instruction in the prevention, transmission and spread of
acquired immune deficiency syndrome and other sexually transmitted diseases to
examine the course curriculum requirements and materials to be used in the
instruction. The parent or guardian may
exempt the child from participation in the instruction by giving notice to that
effect in writing to the school principal.
(c) Any person violating the provisions of this section shall
be is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be
fined not exceeding $10 for each violation, and each week during which there is
a violation shall constitute a separate offense. If the person so convicted occupy occupies
a position in connection with the public schools, that person shall
automatically be removed from that position and shall be ineligible for
reappointment to that or a similar position for the period of one year.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is
to make available elective courses of instruction in all schools located within
this state on the history of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.
Strike-throughs indicate language
that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring
indicates new language that would be added.