CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Senate Education Chair Amy Grady is fighting for a couple of her bills in possession of the House Education Committee but neither received action in Monday’s committee meeting as the end of the regular session looms.
Grady, R-Mason, walked across the capitol and testified on behalf of SB 614 which would give more authority to elementary school classroom teachers to deal with disruptive students.
Grady told the committee several times the bill isn’t perfect but it’s a good first step to deal with a major problem.
“We don’t have an answer for everything, I wish we did and I wish this bill solved every problem we have, it would be so great,” Grady said. “I worked so hard to try and make this perfect and I realized that it’s not perfect and it’s never going to be perfect because let’s face it every student is different.”
According to the bill, when a teacher in grades kindergarten through 6 determines that a student’s behavior is violent, threatening or intimidating — or creates an unsafe learning environment — the student is required to be placed in a behavioral intervention program provided by the county.
If a county doesn’t have access to such a program, the student involved in an incident would be immediately removed from the classroom, parents would be notified, the student would be prohibited from riding the bus and, if the student is not picked up by the end of the day, then school representatives may notify law enforcement.
The student would be suspended for one to three school days until an alternative learning accommodation is made. The student would be prohibited from returning to school until a risk assessment is completed.
The House Education Committee was discussing a possible change to the bill to amend in the House’s ‘Teachers Bill of Rights’ legislation.
After a long discussion, which included Grady’s testimony, House Education Committee Chairman Joe Ellington, R-Mercer, called for a half-hour recess and a caucus of Republican members of the committee. Ellington returned a half hour later and adjourned the meeting with no explanation.
Travel Ball Bill
Grady’s travel ball bill was also on the committee’s agenda but received no action.
The Senate passed SB 813 which would allow kids to play travel bill in the season of their school sports.
House Education Committee Vice-Chairman Joe Statler said earlier Monday during an appearance on MetroNews “Talkline” the committee was working on a possible committee substitute to try and strike a balance over the concerns that coaches had about the bill.
“The parents and the students have to acknowledge to the school that their priority will be with the sports they are participating in at the school at the time,” Statler said.
Longtime West Virginia high school basketball coaches Rick Greene of George Washington and Allen Osborne of Poca were on hand for the education committee meeting but the bill was never discussed.
Ellington said at the beginning of Monday’s meeting the committee would likely meet again Wednesday, which would be a deadline for most bills to be out of committee if they are going to be read three times on House floor before Saturday night’s session deadline.