Bill Text: WV HB4378 | 2020 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to disciplining teachers
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 9-0)
Status: (Passed) 2020-04-15 - Chapter 317, Acts, Regular Session, 2020 [HB4378 Detail]
Download: West_Virginia-2020-HB4378-Enrolled.html
WEST virginia legislature
2020 regular session
ENROLLED
Committee Substitute
for
House Bill 4378
By Delegates Hill, Pack, Kessinger, Hanna, Ellington, Higginbotham, Foster, P. Martin and Worrell
[Passed March 6, 2020; in effect ninety days from passage.]
AN ACT to amend and reenact §18A-2-8 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; and to amend §18A-3-6 of said code, all relating to school personnel; requiring a county board of education to complete an investigation of an employee that involves evidence that the employee may have engaged in certain conduct despite the employee’s resignation; limiting time period for a county superintendent to report any employee suspended, dismissed, or who resigned during the course of an investigation of the employee’s alleged misconduct; authorizing suspension of teaching certificate in certain instances and for certain causes; authorizing additional sanction options by the state superintendent with respect to violations; authorizing superintendent to issue subpoenas to aid investigation of allegations against persons subject to licensure; adding to reasons for which a teacher’s certificate or license is automatically revoked; requiring professional relationship with students; providing minimum revocation period for offenses and specifying offenses; defining grooming a student or minor; adding a public school principal and public charter school administrator to the requirement to report certain acts of any teacher to the State Superintendent; requiring the State Superintendent to maintain a public database of individuals who have had adverse action taken against their teaching certificate; providing that individuals whose certificate has been revoked are not eligible to be employed by a county board until their certificate is reinstated; clarifying that all of certain teacher certificate provisions apply to all public school teachers whether employed by a county board or a public charter school governing board; requiring State Superintendent to periodically ensure that county boards are in compliance with certain teacher certificate provisions; and allowing the state board to propose legislative rules that are necessary to implement certain provisions pertaining to action against a teacher certificate.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
ARTICLE 2. SCHOOL PERSONNEL.
§18A-2-8. Suspension and dismissal of school personnel by board; appeal.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, a board may suspend or dismiss any person in its employment at any time for: Immorality, incompetency, cruelty, insubordination, intemperance, willful neglect of duty, unsatisfactory performance, a finding of abuse by the Department of Health and Human Resources in accordance with §49-1-1 et seq. of this code, the conviction of a misdemeanor or a guilty plea or a plea of nolo contendere to a misdemeanor charge that has a rational nexus between the conduct and performance of the employee’s job, the conviction of a felony or a guilty plea or a plea of nolo contendere to a felony charge.
(b) A charge of unsatisfactory performance shall not be made except as the result of an employee performance evaluation pursuant to §18A-2-12 of this code. The charges shall be stated in writing served upon the employee within two days of presentation of the charges to the board.
(c) The affected employee shall be given an opportunity, within five days of receiving the written notice, to request, in writing, a level three hearing and appeals pursuant to the provisions of §6C-2-1 et seq. of this code, except that dismissal for a finding of abuse or the conviction of a felony or guilty plea or plea of nolo contendere to a felony charge is not by itself a grounds for a grievance proceeding. An employee charged with the commission of a felony, a misdemeanor with a rational nexus between the conduct and performance of the employee’s job, or child abuse may be reassigned to duties which do not involve direct interaction with pupils pending final disposition of the charges.
(d) A county board of education has the duty and authority to provide a safe and secure environment in which students may learn and prosper; therefore, it may take necessary steps to suspend or dismiss any person in its employment at any time should the health, safety, and welfare of students be jeopardized or the learning environment of other students has been impacted. A county board shall complete an investigation of an employee that involves evidence that the employee may have engaged in conduct that jeopardizes the health, safety, or welfare of students despite the employee’s resignation from employment prior to completion of the investigation.
(e) It shall be the duty of any county superintendent to report any employee suspended or dismissed, or resigned during the course of an investigation of the employee’s alleged misconduct, in accordance with this section, including the rationale for the suspension or dismissal, to the state superintendent within seven business days of the suspension, dismissal, or resignation. The state superintendent shall maintain a database of all individuals suspended or dismissed for jeopardizing the health, safety, and welfare of students, or for impacting the learning environment of other students. The database shall also include the rationale for the suspension or dismissal. The database shall be confidential and shall only be accessible to county human resource directors, county superintendents, and the state superintendent.
ARTICLE 3. TRAINING, CERTIFICATION, LICENSING, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
§18A-3-6. Grounds for revocation or suspension of certificates; other authorized actions by state superintendent; required reporting by county superintendents; and recalling certificates for correction.
(a) The State Superintendent may, after 10 days’ notice and upon proper evidence, revoke or suspend the certificates of any teacher for any of the following causes: Intemperance; untruthfulness; cruelty; immorality; the conviction of a felony or a guilty plea or a plea of no contest to a felony charge; the conviction, guilty plea or plea of no contest to any charge involving sexual misconduct with a minor or a student; or for using fraudulent, unapproved or insufficient credit to obtain the certificates: Provided, That in order for any conduct of a teacher involving intemperance; cruelty; immorality; or using fraudulent, unapproved or insufficient credit to obtain the certificates to constitute grounds for the revocation of the certificates of the teacher, there must be a rational nexus between the conduct of the teacher and the performance of his or her job. The State Superintendent shall also have the authority to limit certificates, issue letters of admonishment, or enter into consent agreements requiring specific training in order for a teacher to maintain a certificate. The State Superintendent may designate the West Virginia commission for professional teaching standards or members thereof to conduct hearings on revocations or certificate denials and make recommendations for action by the State Superintendent. The State Superintendent may issue subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum to obtain testimony and documents to aid in the investigation of allegations against any person subject to licensure by the State Superintendent.
(b) A teacher, as defined by West Virginia Code §18-1-1(g), convicted under §61-8D-3 or §61-8D-5 of this code or comparable statute in any other state, any criminal offense that requires the teacher to register as a sex offender, or any criminal offense which has as an element delivery or distribution of a controlled substance, or pleads guilty to or is convicted under the provisions of §61-2-1 of this code or has been so convicted under any law of the United States or any other state for an offense which has the same elements as those offenses described in §61-2-1, shall have his or her certificate or license automatically revoked. Should the conviction resulting in automatic revocation pursuant to this section be overturned by any Court of this State or the United States, the teacher’s certification shall be reinstated unless otherwise prohibited by law.
(c) A teacher, as defined by §18-1-1(g) of this code, and including any individual holding a license granted pursuant to §18A-3-2a of this code, shall maintain a professional relationship with all students at all times, both in and out of the classroom. Following a hearing as provided in subsection (a) of this section, any teacher found to have committed any act of sexual abuse of a student or minor or to have engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with a student or minor; committed an act of cruelty to children or an act of child endangerment or solicited, encouraged, engaged in or consummated an inappropriate relationship with any student, minor, or individual; exploited a student by engaging in any of the aforementioned illegal or inappropriate conduct which then escalated into a relationship with the exploited student within 12 months of that student’s graduation; or engaged in grooming a student or minor shall have his or her license revoked for a period of time not less than five years. For the purposes of this subsection, “grooming a student or minor” means befriending and establishing an emotional connection with a student or minor, which may include the family of the student or minor, to lower the student’s or minor’s inhibitions with the objective of committing sexual abuse, child trafficking, child prostitution, the production of child pornography, or any other offense for which a license shall be revoked under this subsection.
(d) Any county superintendent, public school principal, or public charter school administrator who knows of any acts on the part of any teacher for which a certificate may be revoked or for which other action may be taken in accordance with this section shall report this, together with all the facts and evidence, to the State Superintendent for such action as in the State Superintendent’s judgment may be proper.
(e) If a certificate has been granted through an error, oversight, or misinformation, the State Superintendent may recall the certificate and make such corrections as will conform to the requirements of law and the state board.
(f) The state superintendent shall maintain a public database of individuals who have had adverse action taken against their teaching certificate by the state superintendent. Individuals whose certificate has been revoked by the state superintendent are not eligible to be employed by a county board unless the individual’s certificate is subsequently reinstated by the state superintendent.
(g) This section applies to all public school teachers whether employed by a county board or the governing board of a public charter school.
(h) The state superintendent shall periodically ensure that county boards are acting in compliance with this section.
(i) The state board may propose legislative rules pursuant to §29A-3B-1 et seq. of this code that are necessary to implement the provisions of this section.
