State Senator Mike Oliverio (R–Monongalia, District 13) explained that, during legislative hearings on the bill, lawmakers heard numerous accounts of alarming behavioral incidents in elementary classrooms. One teacher reported being issued a “blocking pad” to use as protection from a physically aggressive student. Other testimonies described students ripping phones from walls, throwing books from shelves, and even toppling bookshelves during outbursts.
“We heard so many examples of that that we really felt it was necessary to put some provisions in the law to deal with these violent and threatening students,” Oliverio said.
According to Oliverio, the primary objectives of the legislation are threefold: (1) to restore order in the classroom for students who are ready to learn, (2) to ensure the safety of both students and school personnel, and (3) to develop procedures for engaging families and rehabilitating students exhibiting violent behavior.
“The goal of the legislature is to try to make sure our teachers and school personnel, as well as all of our students, are safe,” Oliverio said. “Some of these students are just exhibiting such violent behavior that it puts other students at risk.”
On WAJR’s Talk of the Town, Monongalia County Board of Education member Shawn Smith discussed how district leaders have been working to implement the bill. Deputy Superintendent Donna Talerico; Director of Safe Schools and Athletics, Adam Henkins; Director of Student Services and Exceptional Student Education, Stacey Sylvester; and Coordinator of Psychological Services, Angela Hayes, are jointly developing the district’s formal action plan.
“The law has been passed, and now we have to make sure everyone has been trained,” Smith said. “The communication plan is about to go out so everyone is aware, and let’s be honest—it’s summer, and most teachers are not spending their time reading Senate Bill 199.”
The legislation grants educators the authority to remove students who exhibit threatening or violent behavior in order to maintain a safe and orderly learning environment. Once removed, the student is referred to a school counselor, social worker, or behavioral interventionist to evaluate the underlying causes of the behavior. If a student fails to make measurable progress or continues to pose a threat, placement in an alternative educational setting may follow. In some districts, this may include remote learning options.
“We have the interventionists, the counselors, and the psychologist that can help with all this, and we have the alternative school,” Smith noted. “What the public may not realize is that, for the past two years, we have had a behavioral blueprint in our professional development initiatives.”
Smith expressed confidence that the law will reduce confusion, frustration, and accusations of targeting, while also offering a path for students to reenter the classroom on a provisional basis once conditions are met.
“In elementary schools, a formal plan is now required,” Smith said. “
“In those elementary schools there has to be a plan now,” Smith said. “When the teacher has addressed it and can’t do much more with it and has given an opportunity, now a behavioral plan has to be put in place.”
The first full day of classes in Monongalia County for k through 12 students is Aug. 19.