Photo provided by: West Virginia State Capitol Photo Shoot
West Virginia State Capitol Rotunda in Charleston.
CHARLESTON — West Virginia county school board representatives, principals and teachers used the State Board of Education's monthly meeting Tuesday to express their disappointment with the recent legislative session.
David Gradkowski, executive director of the West Virginia Association of Professional Educators, spoke to members of the State Board of Education Tuesday morning about the 2024 legislative session, which begins Jan. 10 and concludes March 9.
Reflecting on the 60-day session, Gradkoski could only point to pay raises for teachers and school staff, the creation of a multi-tiered system against truancy, and the completion of a bill to create a teachers' bill of rights as examples of legislation. . It may be useful for educators.
“The word I have to say and think about is the word 'disappointed,'” Gradsky said. “At this point, I don't think education in West Virginia is in any better shape than it was before the session.”
“We have just completed a 60-day legislative session that was infuriating, exhausting, disappointing and miserable,” said the West Virginia Education Association, which is in the process of merging with other teachers union organizations in the state. Chairman Dale Lee agreed. A branch of the American Federation of Teachers.
A bill that would allow teachers to accumulate unused personal leave and increase their retirement benefits failed in the House, as did bills that would provide cost-of-living increases for retired teachers and school employees and employment incentives for special education teachers and staff. Not submitted. Crossed the finish line.
One of the bills Gradsky said he was disappointed didn't pass was a House or state Senate bill that would deal with student discipline in kindergarten through sixth grade. The only bill moving, Senate Bill 614, died in the final hours of the session after a back-and-forth between agencies that made minor amendments to the bill.
SB 614 would require elementary-grade students to participate in the county's behavioral intervention program if the student's behavior in the classroom is violent, threatening, or intimidating toward staff or other students. , which would have allowed counties without such programs to partner with neighboring counties.
In counties without behavioral intervention programs, after an incident, the student will be removed from the classroom and suspended for one to three days until an alternative learning environment can be arranged, and the student will receive instruction through alternative learning.
Parents must pick up students immediately or by after school, and law enforcement will be notified if a parent or guardian does not pick up the student by after school.
The student will not be allowed to return to school until a risk assessment has been carried out by a school psychologist. Upon completion, students will return to school after a five to 10 day trial period. If another incident occurs, the student will be placed in an alternative learning environment for the remainder of the semester or school year.
“We didn’t really get a bill on student discipline,” Gradsky said. “There have been attempts, and I commend the Senate Education Committee Chair and the House Education Committee Chairperson for tackling these and putting together a good bill. But I'm disappointed that they weren't able to deliver.”
Jim Brown, executive director of the West Virginia School Boards Association, also thanked school boards in both the House and Senate for their efforts to address student discipline issues, including SB 614 and expanding behavioral interventions. expressed concern about the lack of funding and resources to do so. These include offering the program to all 55 counties, the potential for students to miss extended periods of time from school due to a lack of resources to quickly complete risk assessments, and student probationary periods.
“Basically, this is a 'two strikes and you're out' plan because this bill is not inherently forgiving,” Brown said. “Ultimately, due to the lack of alternative learning environments, these students will receive homebound services and their behavior will be left unattended. My experience as a superintendent can attest to the fact that this punitive approach fails to address the underlying issues and fails to provide students with the support they need to succeed.”
According to the online news site West Virginia Watch, Senate leaders are considering adding SB 614 to a special session scheduled for May. Brown called on school commissioners to create a statewide task force of teachers, administrators, parents and mental health professionals to help develop a plan to address student discipline.
“If given the opportunity, it is very likely that the elementary school discipline bill in the House or Senate Education Committee will resurface in some form during the upcoming special session,” Brown said. “Therefore, we believe it is important to clearly express our concerns.”
Mickey Blackwell, executive director of the West Virginia Elementary and Secondary School Principals Association, said any student discipline bill should include funding for full-time counselors in every school in the state.
“I said for the second year in a row that every school needs a full-time principal, a full-time vice principal and a full-time counselor,” Blackwell said. “If the Legislature wants to do something about troubled kids, troubled kids, kids with disciplinary issues, then what should they do with those kids, one-on-one, two-on-one? You have to have someone available to help you with everything.”
“We have to make sure we address the mental health of our students, and then we will see outcomes go up,” Lee said. “If we don't address the emotional, mental and disciplinary issues of these students, no program will be successful.”
