ENROLLED

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE

FOR

H. B. 2208



(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kiss, and Delegate Trump)

[By Request of the Executive]

[Passed April 14, 2001; in effect from passage.]


AN ACT 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 thirteen, relating to public education; state board of education; integrating character education into the public school curriculum; evaluation and report; and funding.

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 thirteen, to read as follows:

ARTICLE 2. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.

§18-2-13. Character education integration.

(a) The state board shall establish a comprehensive approach to integrate character education into all aspects of school culture, school functions and existing curriculum.

(b) The state board shall require all public schools that operate from preschool to grade twelve to develop and integrate components of character development into their existing curriculum. The schools may incorporate such programs as "life skills", "responsible students", or any other program encompassing any of the following components:

(1) Honesty;

(2) Caring;

(3) Citizenship;

(4) Justice;

(5) Fairness;

(6) Respect;

(7) Responsibility;

(8) Voting;

(9) Academic achievement;

(10) Completing homework assignments;

(11) Improving daily attendance;

(12) Avoiding and resolving conflicts;

(13) Alternatives to violence;

(14) Contributing to an orderly positive school environment;

(15) Participating in class;

(16) Resisting social peer pressures to smoke, drink and use drugs;

(17) Developing greater self-esteem and self-confidence;

(18) Effectively coping with social anxiety;

(19) Increasing knowledge of the immediate consequences of substance abuse;

(20) Increasing knowledge of the consequences of ones actions;

(21) The corrupting influence and chance nature of gambling; and

(22) The value of decent, honest work.

(c) Character education shall be integrated into each public school curriculum by the first day of September, two thousand one.

(d) The state board shall assist county boards in developing in-service training regarding integrated character education as provided in this section.

(e) The state board shall contract with an independent agency to evaluate the results of the character education as defined in this section, and report the results to the legislative oversight commission on education accountability during the September, two thousand three interim meeting period, and every two years thereafter.

(f) The state department of education is encouraged to utilize any existing moneys available to the department for existing character development programs, along with any new funds appropriated for the purposes of this section, to secure the maximum amount of any federal funding available for which the state department is eligible to receive for implementing
character development in the schools.
(g) Funding for this initiative shall be derived from the 0313 unclassified account within the state department of education budget.