HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 45
(By Delegates Mezzatesta and Williams)
(Originating in the Committee on Education]
[February 22, 2002]
Requesting the State Department of Education, to study alternatives
and recommend the best method for funding transportation for
academic field trips.
Whereas,
The Legislature supports academic field trips as a
valuable component of education.
Whereas, The Legislature encourages academic field trips and
considers them to be pivotal to a student's education due to the
life experience students gain while participating in activities
such as, but not limited to, spelling bees, golden horseshoe
contests and math field day competitions.
Whereas, The Legislature finds that requiring students to take
part in fund-raising activities to fund academic field trips is
detrimental to their participation in after school and
extracurricular activities such as, but not limited to, homework,
band, tutoring, sports and time spent with their families.
Whereas, The opportunity to participate in academic field trips is sparse in low density counties, as the cost of funding the trips
is beyond students abilities to raise money through fund-raising
activities.
Whereas, Students in low-income households may be denied the
opportunity to participate in academic field trips due to parents'
inability to afford the costs charged to students even after
participation in fund-raising activities.
Whereas, The Legislature finds that issues for examination by
the department should include, but are not limited to, adjusting
the level of reimbursement to the counties for transportation
costs, adjusting the salary levels of service personnel providing
the transportation, and including transportation for academic field
trips in the normal work week schedule of service personnel.
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the state department of education is urged to study and
recommend a method for funding the cost of transportation for
academic field trips.