Senate Bill No. 470
(By Senator Lucht)
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[Introduced February 21, 1994; referred to the Committee
on Education.]
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A BILL to amend article two, chapter eighteen of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated section seven-b, relating to requiring the state board of education to prescribe programs in drug prevention and violence reduction beginning in elementary schools; and requiring a report to the legislative oversight commission on education accountability by the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-five.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article two, chapter eighteen of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section seven-b, to read as follows:

ARTICLE 2. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.

§18-2-7b. Programs in drug prevention and violence reduction.
In order for the schools to become healthy learningenvironments and to provide a strong defense against drug use and violence, the state board of education shall prescribe programs within the existing health and physical education program which teach resistance and life skills to counteract peer pressure to use drugs, including alcohol and tobacco. The board shall also prescribe programs to coordinate violence reduction efforts between schools and their communities and to train students and staff in conflict resolution skills. The program shall be comprehensive and shall begin in elementary school. The state board shall report to the legislative oversight commission on education accountability on the status of the programs no later than the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety- five.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require the state board of education to prescribe programs in drug prevention and violence reduction and to require a report on the programs to the legislative oversight commission on education accountability by July 1, 1995.

This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.