19-03-2025
Raleigh County Board of Education officer says opioid epidemic leaves critical need for special education funding
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — The Vice President of the Raleigh County Board of Education has called on state lawmakers to increase funding for special needs children in West Virginia.
The need is even more pronounced as state teachers provide an education to the number of children who were diagnosed with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) at birth, he said.
'A lot of those students need physical therapy, occupational therapy, a lot of different therapies,' said Snuffer on Monday, March 17, 2025. 'There can be some violent behaviors in that. We have to have social intervention with them. '
Statistics show West Virginia has one of the nation's highest number of children born addicted to opioids or another drugs.
Data at the National Library of Medicine show nearly 51 of every 1,000 babies born in West Virginia from October to December 2019 were diagnosed with NAS, compared to the national average of 7 per 1,000.
The West Virginia Perinatal Partnership reported 14% of all West Virginia children at birth had been exposed to a substance
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According to data collected by The American Medical Journal, the children are up to three times less likely to perform at their grade level academically, and more likely to meet criteria for educational disabilities.
Snuffer said the public school system has a responsibility to educate the influx of students who were born addicted, but both Snuffer and West Virginia Education Association President Dale Lee reported that state lawmakers have decreased state funds for special needs children over the past several years, including those formerly diagnosed with NAS.
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'We're funded one-for-one,' said Snuffer, referring to the funding system. 'We get the same funding for them as we do our regular student.'
Lee said that, several years ago, state lawmakers provided 2-for-1 funding, allocating double the educational dollars to a school district for each special needs child.
The ratio dropped after the 2018-2019 school year.
State data shows that in 2023, legislators provided just over $8,200 per student to public school districts in the state.
Snuffer said the cost of providing services to a special needs child is more than $13,000, on average.
'It takes extra funds to provide the services that are necessary for a special needs child,' Snuffer added. 'So those are funds that we have to absorb locally.'
Citing teachers' reports of increased behavioral problems in state classrooms, West Virginia lawmakers have proposed a flurry of bills over the past two years which address school discipline.
One failed bill aimed to reinstate corporal punishment but was met with backlash from teachers and parents.
The State Senate recently passed a bill which allows teachers to remove students from the classroom for behavioral issues.
'What you're finding is, a lot of those students that are being removed are special needs kids,' said Snuffer. 'They're acting out in that classroom, (they) are special needs kids. So, yes, you can remove those children, but you still have to provide services to them.'
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According to data at The American Medical Journal, students diagnosed with NAS are more likely to have challenges with impulse control, internal and external behavioral concerns and behavior which can be similar to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which can include lack of focus, lack of motivation and reduced time management skills.
With lawmakers set to send $300 million tax dollars from public schools into private school coffers and homeschool curricula providers next school year through the Hope Scholarship program, Snuffer said special needs students, including those most impacted by pharmaceutical companies, stand to lose resources.
The U.S. Department of Education mandated special education in public schools in 1975.
Snuffer said private schools are often smaller and do not offer professional salaries and benefits that may attract a large number of qualified special needs teachers.
Snuffer said some lawmakers have expressed interest in providing at minimum a 1.5-for-1 funding formula for special needs students.
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