H. B. 2208
(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kiss, and Delegate Trump)
[By Request of the Executive]
[Introduced February 15, 2001; referred to the
Committee on Education then Finance.]
A BILL to amend article two, chapter eighteen of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand and nine hundred thirty-one, as
amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated section
thirty-five, relating to character education integration.
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
thirty-five, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
ยง18-2-35. Character education integration.
(a) Local boards of education shall require that all public
schools that operate grade levels from preschool to grade twelve,
including kindergarten, develop and integrate character development education in the existing curriculum as it relates to the values of
respect, responsibility, caring, citizenship, trustworthiness,
justice and fairness and other values as agreed upon by individual
school communities.
(b) Any state and local policies should be written to reflect
the language in the United States department of education
guidelines and the code of West Virginia requiring the promotion of
character education within the educational community.
(c) The state board of education and all county boards of
education shall promulgate rules which ensure that this program is
implemented in a timely and effective manner.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to establish an integrated
and comprehensive approach to the delivery of character education
in West Virginia schools across the curriculum in grade levels from
preschool to grade twelve, including kindergarten. This proposal
uses an approach which integrates curriculum, and maintains the
state's current emphasis on increased student learning.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.