West Virginia legislation · 2026 Regular Session
West Virginia HB5362: Relating to Hope Scholarships awards
Status: Introduced, February 9, 2026
What the bill says
To amend §18-31-2a, §18-31-5, §18-31-7, and §18-31-8 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, all relating to Hope Scholarships awards; placing a limitation on eligibility based on the income of the recipient family of the Hope Scholarship student; requiring utilization of testing and exam preparations provided by local public school; limiting use of Hope scholarships for school tuition to instate schools; and providing rulemaking directives and guidelines to the Board of Education requiring reimbursement of counties for services or activities the public school system provides to.
From the introduced text, February 9, 2026:
A BILL to amend §18-31-2a, §18-31-5, §18-31-7, and §18-31-8 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, all relating to Hope Scholarships awards; placing a limitation on eligibility based on the income of the recipient family of the Hope Scholarship student; requiring utilization of testing and exam preparations provided by local public school; limiting use of Hope scholarships for school tuition to instate schools; and providing rulemaking directives and guidelines to the Board of Education requiring reimbursement of counties for services or activities the public school system provides to Hope Scholarship recipients. ARTICLE 31. HOPE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. §18-31-2a. Educational privileges and programs available to Hope Scholarship students. (a) Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, a Hope Scholarship student that pursues an individualized instructional program is exempt from the requirements of compulsory school attendance pursuant to §18-8-1(m) of this code and shall be subject to the requirements of this article unless otherwise stated: Provided, That upon reimbursement to the county board of education for the costs of an individualized instructional program, a Hope Scholarship student that pursues an individualized instructional program shall have the same privileges and access to programs that this code makes available to students exempt from compulsory school attendance pursuant to §18-8-1(c) of this code including, but not limited (2) The ability to receive …