HB 4830 — To address the professional development of teachers.

(7) Offender dynamics;

Enr CS for HB 4830 (8) Child-on-child scenarios;

(9) Rules on development of supplementary materials, including posting of the child abuse hotline, to embed into the school climate;

(10) Protocols for local crisis response in conjunction with §18-9F-9 of this code.

(b) Training of public school employees upon their employment and then again every three years.

The state board shall propose by December 31, 2018 a legislative rule for promulgation in accordance with §29A-3b-1 et seq.

of this code, and if necessary may promulgate an emergency rule in accordance with said article, for the establishment of standards for training requirements of all public school employees focused on developing skills, knowledge, and capabilities related to preventing child sexual abuse and recognizing and responding to suspected abuse and neglect.

The rule shall provide for at least the following:

(1) This required training shall include comprehensive instruction and information to better equip schools and their employees, including how to:

(A) Recognize sexually offending behaviors in adults, questionable behaviors such as boundary violations, and signs in adults that might indicate they pose a sexual risk to children;

(B) Recognize, appropriately respond to, and prevent sexually inappropriate, coercive, or abusive behaviors among children and youth served by schools;

(C) Recognize behaviors and verbal cues that might indicate a child or youth has been a victim of abuse or neglect;

(D) Support the healthy development of children and youth and the building of protective factors to mitigate against their sexual victimization by adults or peers;


 (E) Recognize and appropriately respond to student infatuations and flirtations with adults in schools;

(F) Recognize appropriate and inappropriate social media usage by adults and children;

Enr CS for HB 4830 (G) Provide consistent and standard protocols for responding to disclosures of sexual abuse or reports of boundary-violating behaviors by adults or children in a supportive and appropriate manner which meet mandated reporting requirements;

(H) Provide adequate understanding of the age-appropriate, comprehensive, evidence- informed child sexual abuse prevention education which will be offered to their students;

and (I) Reflect the research on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma-informed care.

(2) The rule shall contain provisions to ensure public school employees complete the required training every three years.

(A) The required training shall be at least a cumulative four hours (half day) of instruction on the elements identified in this section.

(B) A skills renewal is required every three years thereafter.

(C) The mode of delivery for the trainings may include in-person or e-learning instruction and may include a series of trainings or modules.

(D) The state board shall provide certificates of satisfactory completion for the employee and the employer documenting the employee completed the required training.

ARTICLE 2C.

HARASSMENT, INTIMIDATION OR BULLYING PROHIBITION.

§18-2C-5.

Policy training and education.

(a) Schools and county boards are encouraged, but not required, to form bullying prevention task forces, programs and other initiatives involving school staff, students, teachers, administrators, volunteers, parents, law enforcement and community members.

(b) To the extent state or federal funds are appropriated for these purposes, each school district shall:

(1) Provide training on the harassment, intimidation or bullying policy to school employees upon employment and volunteers who have direct contact with students;

and Enr CS for HB 4830 (2) Develop a process for educating students on the harassment, intimidation or bullying policy.

(c) Information regarding the county board policy against harassment, intimidation or bullying shall be incorporated into each school's current employee training program upon employment and renewed every three years thereafter.

ARTICLE 5.

COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION.

§18-5-15a.

Study of multicultural education for school personnel.

County boards of education shall upon employment and every three years thereafter, provide a program, during at least one noninstructional day of the school term, for the study of multicultural education for all school personnel as defined in subsection (a), section one, article one, chapter eighteen-a of this code.

The study provided shall be in compliance with regulations to be developed by the state Board of Education.

As used in this section, multicultural education means the study of the pluralistic nature of American society, including its values, institutions, organizations, groups, status positions and social roles.

ARTICLE 9F.

SCHOOL ACCESS SAFETY ACT.

§18-9F-10.

School safety requirements.

In addition to any other requirement contained in this article or the Crisis Response Plan required by §18-9F-9 of this code, each county board of education shall implement a school safety program before September 1, 2019, that at a minimum, requires:

(1) Room numbers to be placed on exterior walls or windows of school buildings, so rooms with exterior walls can be identified by law enforcement, first responders, and State Fire Marshals from the outside;

(2) Providing updated floor plans of the school to first responders, local law enforcement, and State Fire Marshals by September 1 of each school year;

Enr CS for HB 4830 (3) First aid training, that includes blood borne pathogen information, for all school personnel upon employment;

and (4) Active shooter training for all school personnel and students at the beginning of each school year.

CHAPTER 61.

CRIMES AND THEIR PUNISHMENT.

ARTICLE 8F.

SPECIAL PROTECTIONS FOR DISABLED CHILDREN ACT OF 2022.

§61-8F-6.

Specific directives to enhance the safety of disabled children.

(a) The West Virginia Department of Education in collaboration with the Secretary of Human Services shall:

(1) On or before January 1, 2023, develop, produce, and disseminate an eight-hour education program for people employed in or to be employed in the care, housing, and education of disabled children as well as their supervisory personnel and administrators.

The program shall include, but not be limited to, the legal duties of persons so employed, the behavioral characteristics associated with different disabling conditions, symptoms of disabling conditions , appropriate interventions necessary to support a child in a particular setting, and the process of mandatory reporting of abuse.

Successful completion of the program shall be mandatory for state, county, and municipal employees engaged in the care, housing, and education of disabled children as well as their supervisory personnel and administrators upon employment and every three years after;

and (2) On or before January 1, 2023, investigate the availability and implementation cost of a program for public schools and government operated programs for disabled children which allows parents, guardians, and custodians to remotely view classrooms and other areas where disabled children are taught, housed, or cared for and provide copies of the findings and proposals to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Delegates prior to the first day of the 2023 Regular Session of the Legislature.

Enr CS for HB 4830 (3) To the extent practicable the program shall consider and include input from family members and caregiving of disabled children.

(b) On or before January 1, 2023, the West Virginia Prosecuting Attorney's Institute in collaboration with the Law Enforcement Professional Standards subcommittee on the Governor’s Committee on Crime Delinquency and Correction shall develop a three-hour mandatory educational program for prosecuting attorneys and law enforcement officers that offers education:

(1) As to the provisions of this article;

and (2) In the investigation and prosecution of crimes against disabled children including mandatory reporting of all abuse.

(3) To the extent practicable the program shall consider and include input from family members and caregiving of disabled children.

(c) The State Board of Education shall create a database which identifies school employees who are under active investigation for misconduct towards children into which county boards of education shall report and review when considering employing a person with previous experience in the education system.

Enr CS for HB 4830 The Clerk of the House of Delegates and the Clerk of the Senate hereby certify that the foregoing bill is correctly enrolled.

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Clerk of the House of Delegates ...............................................................

Clerk of the Senate Originated in the House of Delegates.

In effect ninety days from passage.

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Speaker of the House of Delegates ...............................................................

President of the Senate __________ The within is ................................................

this the...........................................

Day of ..........................................................................................................., 2024.

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Governor 9