WEST virginia legislature

2024 regular session

Introduced

Senate Bill 280

By Senators Grady, Stuart, Taylor, Roberts, Phillips, Deeds, Tarr, and Azinger

[Introduced January 11, 2024; referred
to the Committee on Education]

A BILL to amend and reenact §18-5-46 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to allowing teachers in public schools that include any one or more of grades kindergarten through 12 to teach intelligent design as a theory of how the universe and/or humanity came to exist.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 5. COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION.

§18-5-46. Requiring teacher to change grade prohibited; teacher recommendation relating to promotion; allowing teaching of intelligent design.

(a) No teacher may be required by a principal or any other person to change a student's grade on either an individual assignment or a report card unless there is clear and convincing evidence that there was a mathematical error in calculating the student's grade.

(b) The teacher's recommendation relating to whether a student should be promoted to the next grade level shall be a primary consideration when making such a determination.

(c) Teachers in public schools, including public charter schools, that include any one or more of grades kindergarten through 12, may teach intelligent design as a theory of how the universe and/or humanity came to exist.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to allow teachers in public schools, including public charter schools, that include any one or more of grades Kindergarten through 12 to teach intelligent design as a theory of how the universe and/or humanity came to exist.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.