HB2785 S ED AM #1 3-29
Vestal 7820
The Committee on Education moved to amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting in lieu thereof the following:
ARTICLE 8. COMPULSORY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE.
§18-8-1a. Commencement and termination of compulsory school attendance; public school entrance requirements; exceptions.
(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of section one of
this article, compulsory school attendance begins with the school year in which
the sixth birthday is reached prior to September 1 of such year or upon
enrolling in a publicly supported kindergarten program and, subject to
subdivision (3) of this subsection, continues to the sixteenth birthday or for
as long as the student continues to be enrolled in a school system after the
sixteenth birthday Compulsory school attendance begins with the school
year in which the sixth birthday is reached prior to July 1 of such year or
upon enrolling in a full-time publicly funded kindergarten program, and
continues to the 17th birthday or for as long as the student continues to be
enrolled in a school system after the 17th birthday.
(1) A child may be removed from such kindergarten
program when the principal, teacher and parent or guardian concur
determines that the best interest of the child would not be served by
requiring further attendance. Provided, That the principal
shall make the final determination with regard to compulsory school attendance
in a publicly supported kindergarten program.
(2) The compulsory school attendance provision of this article shall be enforced against a person 18 years of age or older for as long as the person continues to be enrolled in a school system and may not be enforced against the parent, guardian, or custodian of the person.
(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of section one of
this article, compulsory school attendance begins with the school year in which
the sixth birthday is reached prior to September 1 of such year or upon
enrolling in a publicly supported kindergarten program and continues to the
seventeenth birthday or for as long as the student continues to be enrolled in
a school system after the seventeenth birthday: Provided, That beginning in the
school year 2019-2020, compulsory school attendance begins with the school year
in which the sixth birthday is reached prior to July 1 of such year or upon
enrolling in a publicly supported kindergarten program.
(b) Attendance at a state-approved or Montessori
kindergarten, as provided in §18-5-18 of this code, is deemed school attendance
for purposes of this section. Prior to entrance into the first
grade in accordance §18-2-5 of this code, each child must have either:
(1) Successfully completed such publicly or privately
supported, state-approved kindergarten program, or Montessori kindergarten
program; or
(2) Successfully completed an entrance test of basic
readiness skills approved by the county in which the school is located. The
test may be administered in lieu of kindergarten attendance only under
extraordinary circumstances to be determined by the county board.
(b) A parent, as defined in §18-31-2 of this code, shall have the option, prior to enrolling in a publicly supported kindergarten program, to apply for a Hope Scholarship on behalf of his or her child as set forth in §18-31-1 et seq. of this code. Every year thereafter, a parent shall have the option to renew his or her child’s enrollment in the Hope Scholarship Program pursuant to §18-31-8 of this code.
(c) Attendance at a state-approved, nonpublic kindergarten program, including a Montessori kindergarten program as provided in §18-5-18 of this code, homeschool kindergarten program, Hope Scholarship kindergarten program, or private, parochial, or church kindergarten program recognized under §18-8-1(k) of this code is deemed school attendance for the purposes of this section. Students entering the public school system after such kindergarten program shall be placed in the developmentally and academically appropriate grade level.
(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section section
five, article two of this chapter and section eighteen, article five of
this chapter and §18-5-18 of this code, a county board may provide
for advanced entrance or placement under policies adopted by said board for any
child who has demonstrated sufficient mental and physical competency for such
entrance or placement.
(e) This section does not prevent a A student
from another state, or who is eligible to enroll in a public school in this
state, from enrolling in the shall be enrolled in the same
grade in a public school in West Virginia as the student was enrolled at the
school from which the student transferred. A transcript or other credential
provided pursuant to §18-8-12 of this code shall be accepted by a public school
in this state as a record of a student’s previous academic performance for the
purposes of placement and credit assignment.
Adopted
Rejected