House of Delegates passes student discipline bill

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVVA) - Lawmakers in Charleston passed a bill this week that would clarify guidelines for teachers on how to discipline students.

Under the bill that passed in the House of Delegates on Tuesday, students would have to leave a teacher’s classroom on the first instance of disruptive behavior. If they had to be removed from the classroom three times within a month, they would receive an out-of-school suspension. Administrators would then have the option of placing the student in a different classroom or an alternative learning center.

The bill was sponsored by Del. Marty Gearheart, (R)Mercer County.

Del. Jordan Maynor, (R) Raleigh County, also supported the bill. “What it boils down to is this is a teacher empowerment bill. It allows teachers to enforce discipline in the classroom. We’ve heard from teachers across the state about how we need to empower them to enforce discipline in the classroom.”

The bill passed in the House, but not before concerns were heard from Democrats and a few Republicans on the bill. Fayette County Del. Elliott Pritt argued that teachers and administrators should be required to come up with a plan to address the behavior before sending the student to another school or classroom.

The measure heads next to the Senate for consideration.