Senate 179

WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE

2025 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

Senate Bill 179

By Senator Chapman

[Introduced February 12, 2025; referred
to the Committee on Education]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding a new section, designated §18-8-2a, relating to granting school administrators the ability to refuse to promote a student to the next grade if the child has missed 20 or more days of school.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 8. COMPULSORY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE.

§18-8-2a. Grade retention after 20 unexcused absences.

(a) Before report cards are completed at the end of the school year, a member of each school's administration shall meet with the school attendance officer, and any teachers who wish to participate to determine whether students with 20 or more unexcused absences under this article should be promoted to the next grade or to graduate that year.

(b) The school administrator shall then make a determination for each student with 20 or more unexcused absences regarding promotion to the next grade level or graduation, if applicable. The school administrator's decision cannot be overridden by parental requests for promotion to the next grade level.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to grant school administrators the ability to refuse to promote a student to the next grade if the child has missed 20 or more days of school. This is in an effort to curb unexcused absences.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.