Latest news with #HB2003
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New cell phone policy on Fayette BOE May 6 agenda
The Fayette County Board of Education plans a regular meeting on Tuesday, May 6 at Oak Hill High School. Among the agenda items is the first reading of a new cell phone policy that is being planned in response to state legislation signed into law earlier this week by Gov. Patrick Morrisey. On April 29, Morrisey was joined by students, legislators and supporters at Lincoln Middle School in Shinnston to sign House Bill 2003, which prohibits the use of personal electronic devices by students in elementary and high school classrooms. There are exceptions provided for in the legislation. Also that day, Senate Bill 280, which requires public schools to display the United States motto 'In God We Trust,' was signed by the governor. 'As governor, one of my top priorities is to improve West Virginia's educational rankings,' Morrisey said in a press release. 'To do that, we must focus on academics and remove classroom distractions.' HB 2003 empowers county boards of education to prohibit the use of personal electronic devices in classroom settings. According to Fayette County Schools Superintendent Gary Hough, some Fayette schools have already implemented their own individual cell phone polices. 'We'd like to have some consistency,' he said. County principals will discuss the situation in a meeting Monday, said Hough, who noted that each school classroom in Fayette County is equipped with a phone 'that reaches out to 911 immediately' in the event of an emergency. Recognitions and reports on the Tuesday board agenda include: • Mary Ann Freeman — Golden Horseshoe winners; • Dawn Dooley — Young Writers; • Dawn Dooley — Governor School Recipients 2025; and • Sandra Whitaker — Regional and State Social Studies Fair winners. The board is expected to take final action on several policy revisions recommended by Hough and also introduce first readings of other policies. Among those set for final action are policies relating to employment of substitutes, suspension, teacher workload/supplemental duties, suicide prevention, graduation requirements and the schools and community agencies. Before the board for first reading will be the cell phone policy and polices on fund accounting, travel payment and reimbursement and property inventory, The agenda also includes a recommendation from Hough for a $190,520 purchase of Microsoft Surface computers from Zones LLC (state contract) to replace outdated teacher computers at Oak Hill and Midland Trail high schools and other schools as needed. Funding will be from Tools for Schools. And, the board will act on Hough's recommendation to approve a request for out-of-state/overnight travel. The Fayette Institute of Technology HOSA students (approximately four students) are planning to attend the HOSA International Leadership Conference in Nashville, Tenn. on June 17-22. Chaperones will be FIT instructors Annette Ashley, Andrea Anderson, Brian Richmond and FIT Director Robert Keaton. Travel will be by charter bus. Funding will be from FIT funds. Hough recommends approval of accounts payable in the amount of $1,203,846.28. A list of bills is available upon request from the central office. There will also be personnel actions and other items of discussion. Future meetings of the board include: Tuesday, May 13, special meeting/budget hearing, board office, 9 a.m.; and Thursday, May 22, regular meeting at Meadow Bridge High School, 6 p.m.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A look at bills that crossed the legislative finish line
Apr. 14—MORGANTOWN — The 2025 legislative session wrapped up at midnight Saturday, and a number of bills we followed along the way completed their journeys. Most prominent among them is HB 3279. Over the objections of WVU and Marshall and others who said it addresses a problem that doesn't exist, it turns the student, faculty and staff members of college and university boards of governors across the state into non-voting advisory members. For WVU specifically, it also makes the Extension service faculty representative a non-voting member. Some final amendment fiddling and concurrence concluded Saturday afternoon and it heads to the governor. WVU provided this statement to The Dominion Post on Monday: "West Virginia University is West Virginia's University because of our students, faculty and staff, and their commitment to serving the state. We believe their voices should be heard and, in this case, they made their opposition to HB 3279 known to lawmakers. "Once the bill is signed into law, " WVU said, "we will work to implement its provisions as we do with every other law. The WVU Board of Governors will continue to include two faculty representatives, one classified staff representative and one student body representative. Going forward, we hope their perspectives and guidance will continue to be sought in the decision-making process." SB 50 aligns municipal election dates with statewide primary and general election dates, effective July 1, 2032. Last Monday, April 7, the House adopted an amendment by Delegate Geno Chiarelli, R-Monongalia, to move the effective date to July 1, 2028. The Senate rejected that amendment and on Saturday the House receded and passed the Senate version 93-2. Chiarelli joined the majority but Delegate Evan Hansen D-Monongalia, voted against it (he voted for it when the House passed its amended version). It heads to the governor. Here are some other bills heading to the governor. After failing in 2023 and 2024, the bill to require the display of the U.S. Motto "IN God We Trust " finally passed. SB 280 requires public schools and higher education institutions to display a durable poster or framed copy of the motto "in a conspicuous location within a common area of the main building ...that is accessible to the public." Displays in other areas is optional. Public funding is prohibited, while private funding is permitted. HB 2003 requires county school boards to establish policies for permitting, or not permitting, personal electronic devices on school property. If permitted, the board will set parameters for use and for storage during instructional hours. It includes exceptions for medical issues and for students with Individualized Education Programs. It also requires school boards to establish consequences for violations, including confiscation and ongoing prohibition from possession on campus. HB 2164 allows schools three options to put security officers in their hallways. It allows public and charter schools, along with private and religious schools, to employ school safety officers. It allows public schools, including charters (private and religious schools do not appear in this section), to contract with a retired law enforcement officer to provide Guardian services. And it allows schools — public, private and religious — to contract with private security firms. HB 2434 is the Stop Squatters Act. It says a squatter is a person occupying a dwelling or other structure who is not so entitled under a rental agreement or is not authorized to do so by the tenant or owner. It allows a property owner or their authorized agent to request law enforcement to undertake the immediate removal of the squatter, under specified conditions. The bill establishes the crime of criminal mischief for causing damages, with misdemeanor and felony penalties depending on the value of the damages. It also sets criminal penalties for selling real property without authorization and for advertising property for sale or rent without authorization. HB 2960 launches a pilot project to plow secondary roads in Monongalia and Preston counties. It says, "Snow removal on the secondary roads in Monongalia County and Preston County has not been dependable, providing a hardship on the citizens of West Virginia." It establishes a two-year pilot project to put out a Request for Proposal for vendors to provide snow removal for District 4's secondary roads in Monongalia and Preston counties. The Division of Highways will identify the roads to be plowed. The DOH can terminate a contract, with 30 days' notice, for substandard or unsatisfactory work. A couple measures died. SB 85 aimed to ban the prescription and dispensing of abortion medications by mail order. It passed the Senate but died in House Health without a hearing. And the House was set to take up a Senate pro-coal resolution on Saturday but let it die. SCR 18 announced the intention to create a West Virginia Coal Renaissance Act, citing the changing views about energy as the Trump administration follows the more renewable-minded Biden and Obama years. It said the Coal Renaissance Act, along with programs and initiatives, will encourage and foster greater coal usage, and state agencies will develop strategies to fully develop coal production and consumption, including new coal-fired plants and efforts to keep current plants open.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House bill would allow schools to limit cell phone use in classrooms
Mar. 14—dbeard @ MORGANTOWN — The House Education Committee is set to take action on a bill that would allow county school boards to set limits on student cell phone use on school grounds and in classrooms. HB 2003 came from Gov. Patrick Morrisey, but the version the committee will vote on is substantially different. Katie Franklin, Morrisey's deputy general counsel, explained the original version to the committee on Friday and to the Public Education subcommittee earlier in the week. The bill is intended to create a better learning environment for students by removing constant distractions, she said, and empower teachers to take better control of their classrooms. The introduced version begins, "Student cell phones shall not be seen, heard, or in use while the student is in the classroom, while school is in session." It prescribes storage, ringers, headphones and earbuds, and smart watches. It makes exceptions for hallways, lunches and other non-instructional times, emergencies and ADA and Humans Right Act regulations. The committee substitute that the full committee reviewed on Friday and will vote on next week avoids specific prescriptions. It opens with several legislative findings, including, "Personal electronic devices contribute to a negative classroom environment with increased concerns relating to distractions, academic misconduct, bullying and /or harassment and other inappropriate behaviors. Concerns regarding the mental health of students with unfettered access to personal electronic devices are well-documented and are believed to prohibit the age-appropriate development of relationships, study skills, and other necessary skills to be successful." This version requires county school boards to adopt a policy governing personal electronic devices, including if and when they are permitted on campus and in classrooms. It spells out various exceptions, including for students who have Individualized Education Plans that call for access to devices. It requires boards to set consequences for violations, including confiscation for the day and a permanent ban. David Gladkosky, executive director of West Virginia Professional Educators, told the full Education Committee on Friday, "This is a good bill and we're glad to see it going in place." A survey showed that 66 % of WVPE's members are interested in seeing a policy and 73 % want the policy to include exceptions for lunches and recess and such. Committee chair Joe Ellington, R-Mercer, told the members that the state Board of Education also has a policy under consideration. "Personal Electronic Device Usage in Schools " is open for public comment until March 20. Friday's meeting was devoted to a hearing of the bill. Markup and passage and recommendation to the full House is next.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House bill would allow schools to limit cell phone use in classrooms
Mar. 14—dbeard @ MORGANTOWN — The House Education Committee is set to take action on a bill that would allow county school boards to set limits on student cell phone use on school grounds and in classrooms. HB 2003 came from Gov. Patrick Morrisey, but the version the committee will vote on is substantially different. Katie Franklin, Morrisey's deputy general counsel, explained the original version to the committee on Friday and to the Public Education subcommittee earlier in the week. The bill is intended to create a better learning environment for students by removing constant distractions, she said, and empower teachers to take better control of their classrooms. The introduced version begins, "Student cell phones shall not be seen, heard, or in use while the student is in the classroom, while school is in session." It prescribes storage, ringers, headphones and earbuds, and smart watches. It makes exceptions for hallways, lunches and other non-instructional times, emergencies and ADA and Humans Right Act regulations. The committee substitute that the full committee reviewed on Friday and will vote on next week avoids specific prescriptions. It opens with several legislative findings, including, "Personal electronic devices contribute to a negative classroom environment with increased concerns relating to distractions, academic misconduct, bullying and /or harassment and other inappropriate behaviors. Concerns regarding the mental health of students with unfettered access to personal electronic devices are well-documented and are believed to prohibit the age-appropriate development of relationships, study skills, and other necessary skills to be successful." This version requires county school boards to adopt a policy governing personal electronic devices, including if and when they are permitted on campus and in classrooms. It spells out various exceptions, including for students who have Individualized Education Plans that call for access to devices. It requires boards to set consequences for violations, including confiscation for the day and a permanent ban. David Gladkosky, executive director of West Virginia Professional Educators, told the full Education Committee on Friday, "This is a good bill and we're glad to see it going in place." A survey showed that 66 % of WVPE's members are interested in seeing a policy and 73 % want the policy to include exceptions for lunches and recess and such. Committee chair Joe Ellington, R-Mercer, told the members that the state Board of Education also has a policy under consideration. "Personal Electronic Device Usage in Schools " is open for public comment until March 20. Friday's meeting was devoted to a hearing of the bill. Markup and passage and recommendation to the full House is next.
