The proposed bill, known as the Restoring Private Schools Act of 2025, seeks to amend and reenact sections 18-28-2 and 18-28-3 of the Code of West Virginia, focusing on the regulations governing private, parochial, or church schools. Key changes include the removal of specific attendance and health regulations, such as the requirement for a minimum instructional term of 180 days and the maintenance of annual attendance and immunization records. Instead, the bill introduces new provisions that require schools to comply with reasonable fire, health, and safety inspections, as well as to establish and update a crisis response plan in accordance with state guidelines.

Additionally, the bill alters the previous standardized testing requirements, granting private schools the autonomy to determine their own standards for student assessment. The previous mandates for administering nationally normed standardized tests and reporting results to the West Virginia Department of Education have been replaced with a declaration that these schools may implement their own instructional and assessment measures without governmental oversight. This shift emphasizes the independence of private educational institutions in setting their educational standards and practices.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 18-28-2, 18-28-3