H. C. R. 20

(By Delegates Staton, Amores, Givens, Fleischauer,

Buchanan, Trump and Smirl)



(Originating in the House Committee on the Judiciary)


[March 18, 1997]


Directing that the state department of education and the department of military affairs and public safety study the use of technology to support education in nontraditional settings and report their findings and recommendations to the Legislature.

Whereas, The need exists to provide secure and meaningful educational opportunities to juveniles in nontraditional settings;
Whereas, The state department of education has consistently provided high quality award-winning traditional educational programs for juveniles in nontraditional settings;
Whereas, The costs and responsibilities of providing meaningful educational opportunities to juveniles in out-of-home placements are not consistently borne by county and state governments;
Whereas, A need exists to assure adequate security for the individual educators and staff who provide educational opportunities to juveniles in detention;
Whereas, It is also a problem to transport or move incarcerated juveniles to appropriate locations for the purpose of education;
Whereas, Technology has developed which allows for better educational opportunities in nontraditional settings using distance learning such as satellite tele-lessons, interactive classrooms and the Internet; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the departments of education and military affairs and public safety in consultation with the distance learning coordinating council are hereby directed to work together to prepare a study on the proposed use of technology in nontraditional settings and the feasibility and cost of implementation and report their recommendations to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance of the Legislature by the first day of December, one thousand nine hundred ninety-seven.