WEST virginia legislature

2019 regular session

Introduced

House Bill 2541

By Delegates R. Thompson, Evans, Lovejoy, Doyle, Hornbuckle, Hicks, Dean, Paynter, Zukoff and Pyles

[Introduced January 21, 2019; 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 §18-9F-10, relating to requiring certain safety measures be taken at public schools.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 9F. SCHOOL ACCESS SAFETY ACT.

§18-9F-10. School safety requirements.

In addition to any other requirement contained in this article or the Crisis Response Plan required by §18-9F-9 of this code, each county board of education shall implement a school safety program before September 1, 2019, that at a minimum, requires:

(1) Room numbers to be placed on exterior walls of school buildings, so rooms with exterior walls can be identified by law enforcement from the outside;

(2) The posting of floor plans of the school at building entrances to aid law enforcement;

(3) Every window in a classroom that opens to the outside of the building either, be able to be opened by an occupant of the classroom, or has a tool easily available near it that may be used by an occupant to easily break the window, all so that the window may be used for an emergency exit; and

(4) Active shooter training for teachers and students at beginning of each school year.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require certain safety measures be taken at public schools.

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