COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS
FOR POLICY 4373 EXPECTED BEHAVIOR IN SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE SCHOOLS
Disclaimer: This document is provided as a summary of the requirements for county
boards of education as outlined in WVBE Policy 4373 Expected Behavior in Safe and
Supportive Schools. This summary is meant to be reviewed in conjunction with the full
policy and should not be used as the sole document for reviewing and understanding
the full breadth of content articulated in the policy.
Chapter 1: Provide leadership and resources to support school-wide efforts to develop
social and emotional learning standards. Support school curriculum teams to customize
the curriculum crosswalk tool provided by the WVDE to align with county curriculum
frameworks.
1. Self-awareness and Self-management
2. Social awareness and Interpersonal Skills
3. Decision-making Skills and Responsible Behaviors
Chapter 2: Assure the protection of Student Rights and Responsibilities through the
development of county-wide policies and procedures that provide such protections and
provision of professional development and technical assistance to school administrators
that promote understanding of:
1. The Right to a Thorough and Efficient Education
2. Student Inquiry and Expression
3. Non-curriculum Related Student Groups
4. Extra-Curricular Activities
5. Privacy
6. Protection from Unreasonable Searches and Seizures and Self-Incrimination
7. Child Abuse Prevention
Chapter 3: Provide leadership for continuous school climate/culture improvement
planning and implementation. The county responsibilities for school climate/culture
improvement include:
1. Policy Development: by July 1, 2012. County board policies must address and
adhere to all applicable federal and state laws sited within this policy. County board
policies and procedures must include guidelines for school level implementation and
safeguards to protect the safe and supportive environment of the school. These
safeguards shall include but not be limited to:
 education, communication and enforcement provisions;
 identification, intervention and referral of students with behavioral and substance
abuse issues;
 no advertisement of tobacco or alcohol products
 minimal marketing of other foods and beverages
 school facility use agreements; and
 public announcements regarding the policy for events during non-instructional
time.
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2. Partnership Development: form informal and formal partnerships with community
agencies/organizations that can support safe and supportive school efforts within the
county. Develop procedures to approve formal partnership agreements when
partners will interact directly with students.
3. Policy Dissemination and Training: develop and implement an ongoing awareness
campaign for all students, staff and parents/guardians.
 ensure that all schools provide appropriate policy training.
 review the policy at least bi-annually for compliance with federal and state law
and WVBE policy.
 Make the county policy readily available to the public (written or electronic).
4. Implementation Plan: address school climate/culture within the Student Support
Goal of the county strategic plan with objectives for policy implementation that
ensures each school incorporates the following:
 use of pro-active strategies to develop and support positive behavior;
 application of data-driven continuous school climate/culture improvement
activities; and
 application of appropriate/consistent interventions for inappropriate behaviors.
5. Evaluation of Effectiveness: annually review data related to this policy including:
 summary data for incidents of inappropriate behavior and intervention responses
to incidents;
 required LSIC reports;
 trend analysis from school climate/culture survey tools (as available);
 impact data related to school climate/culture improvement strategies within
county and school strategic plans; and
 impact data from training and staff development offered by the county, RESA
and/or WVDE.
West Virginia Code Requirements for County Boards of Educations:
§18-2C-1 et seq. Establish policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation or bullying
§18-5A-2
Review and file Local School Improvement Councils (LSIC)
discipline reports
§18-9F-1 et seq. Submit School Access Safety Plans to the School Building
Authority
§18-9F-9
Collect all school crises response plans by August 1, 2013
§18A-5-1
Responsibility for the administration of proper discipline in the
public schools
§18A-5-1a
Disciplinary action requirements and due process procedures for
Safe Schools Act violations (possessing deadly weapons,
possessing a controlled substance, assaults and batteries upon
teachers or other school personnel; sale of narcotic)
§61-7-11a
Authorization for the possession of deadly weapons on school
property and reporting requirements for unauthorized possession
of deadly weapons
Chapter 4: Articulate inappropriate behaviors within county policies and support school
efforts to provide meaningful interventions and consequences for those behaviors. The
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county board shall establish due process procedures for disciplinary hearings. The
County School System must provide technical assistance to any school designated as
Persistently Dangerous. The county superintendent (or designee) shall have oversight
of school disciplinary proceedings to assure the following:
1. out-of-school suspension strategies should be used sparingly and shall never deny a
student access to instructional material and information necessary to maintain their
academic progress;
2. any student receiving out-of-school suspension or expulsion from school is also
suspended from extracurricular activities for the duration of the suspension or
expulsion (application of this standard for in-school-suspension is at the discretion of
the county policy);
3. when administering interventions and consequences, it is required to determine if a
student warrants protection under the IDEA, WVBE Policy 2419 and or Section 504;
4. consequences to the inappropriate behaviors of staff and/or public guests of the
school are addressed through personnel procedures and removal from school
property (for public guests);
5. use of physical punishment prohibited;
6. when the use of physical restraint is necessary, guidelines for training and
documentation must be followed;
7. delivery of alternative educational services are necessary; and
8. local/county/state law enforcement agencies are key partners in assuring a safe and
supportive school but all parties must be clear as to the appropriate manner in which
law enforcement engages with students based on various circumstances.
Chapter 5: Each county policy shall:
1. designate the individual(s) who will receive complaints about inappropriate behaviors;
2. develop procedures to assure that any victim or witness of an inappropriate behavior
has an identified mechanism to report the alleged acts immediately to the
appropriate official(s);
3. develop procedures for the investigation of complaints and the reporting of
investigation findings;
4. develop procedures to address the failure of an employee to appropriately respond
to inappropriate behaviors, in accordance with WVBE Policy 5310 - Performance
Evaluation of School Personnel;
5. develop discipline procedures to prevent retaliation against any person who reports
alleged violations, who testifies, assists or participates in an investigation,
proceeding or hearing relating to such inappropriate behaviors; and
6. develop a disciplinary process to take appropriate action against any student,
administrator or other school personnel who falsely reports violations of this policy.
Chapter 6: The county policy shall:
1. outline the due process requirements for out-of-school suspensions and expulsions
as outlined in West Virginia Code §§18A-5-1 and 18A-5-1a
2. provide assurances that students who have been suspended or expelled from a
public or private school in West Virginia or another state, currently found within the
county, may not be denied enrollment in the county school system unless
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determined to be a “dangerous student” under the procedures set forth in West
Virginia Code §18A-5-1a.. Superintendents may, in their discretion, determine the
appropriate educational placement, including alternative education services, for
these students (Superintendent’s Interpretation of January 26, 2007).
3. provide assurances that the protections of the Individuals with Disabilities Act are
being provided as outlined in WVBE Policy 2419 - Regulations for the Education of
Students with Exceptionalities , Chapter 7;
4. outline requirements for the reporting of incidents of inappropriate behavior into the
WVEIS Discipline Management System.
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