by Amelia Ferrell Knisely, West Virginia Watch
April 15, 2025

West Virginia elementary school teachers have spent the last few years asking lawmakers for help addressing an uptick in violent and disruptive student behavior that includes punching, kicking and classroom destruction. On Tuesday, Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed a bill aiming to give teachers more control over their classrooms.

“We want our teachers teaching — not babysitting, not disciplining,” Morrisey said during a bill signing event at Ripley Elementary School in Ripley, West Virginia.

The measure, Senate Bill 199, also mandates that school mental health professionals assess removed students to see what could be causing the behavior. 

The most violent attacks on elementary teachers are occurring most frequently in kindergarten classrooms. Educators say the problem is linked to the state’s ongoing substance abuse crisis, and kids are arriving at preschool or kindergarten dealing with trauma, neglect or behavioral issues as a result of neonatal abstinence syndrome.

Sen. Amy Grady, R-Mason, is a fourth grader teacher who spent two years working on the bill after it failed to make it to the governor’s desk last year. 

“The most important part is that we want to make sure that you guys always have a safe classroom and a safe learning environment to learn in and that your teachers have a safe environment to teach in,” Grady told Ripley Elementary students.

Addressing student discipline has been a top ask from teachers across the state as they say student behavior is worsening and data shows suspensions are increasing. Some lawmakers have said they must address the issue to protect teachers and boost the state’s struggling test scores. 

State Schools Superintendent Michele Blatt supported the bill, saying, “I think we have something in place that’s really going to support our teachers and make a difference. I’m thrilled that the governor has decided to sign this.”

‘Streamlined process’ for removing disruptive students 

The bill outlines how and why teachers in kindergarten through sixth grade classrooms can immediately remove students who are violent, threatening or intimidating toward staff or peers, or students’ whose behavior is impeding on other students’ ability to learn. The House of Delegates amended the bill to include pre-K classrooms that are on public school grounds. 

Morrisey called it a “streamlined process” for dealing with these students. 

School counselors and social workers will now be required to determine any underlying cause of the child’s behavior. 

The measure gives the student a two- to four-week probationary period on a behavioral plan for improvement. If improvement isn’t made, the student can be placed in an alternative school or behavioral intervention program. 

Fewer than half of the state’s 55 counties have alternate learning centers.

“If there’s no county program, the student may be removed from school and find alternative learning environments. Maybe it’s a virtual school or other learning environments,” Morrisey said.

The Senate unanimously signed off the bill, and the House passed the measure with a 94-3 vote.

Three Democrats in the House opposed the measure, citing concerns about potentially unqualified counselors or social workers conducting an assessment to determine the underlying cause of a child’s behavior.

The bill doesn’t come with funding for schools to add behavioral support staff; some teachers told lawmakers that money and additional staff were key parts of addressing the problem. 

Lawmakers also passed a bill permitting counties to ban cell phones in classrooms, which was a request from Morrisey. The session ended without any movement on teacher pay raises; West Virginia teachers are the lowest paid in the nation.

“We know a lot more needs to be done,” Morrisey said. “Reversing courses is a major priority for my administration… I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure West Virginia kids excel.”

Editors’ note: This story has been updated to correct that the bill was signed on Tuesday, April 15, 2025.

West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.

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