CHARLESTON — A bill personal to a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates that would give training to educators for recognizing eating disorders and other harmful actions passed unanimously Tuesday.

House Bill 4074, requiring schools provide eating disorder and self-harm training for teachers and students, passed 93-0 with seven absent Tuesday afternoon after a delay in floor action due to a fire alarm.

HB 4074, also known as “Meghan’s Law,” is named for Meghan Clark, the 15-year-old daughter of Del. Wayne Clark, R-Jefferson, the lead sponsor of the bill.

The bill would require public school employees to undergo training to recognize the signs of eating disorders in students as well as other self-harm techniques. The training would involve how to best prevent and respond to students engaged in eating disorders or causing physical harm to themselves, such as cutting.

Educators would need to undergo training every three years. It would also require education of middle and high school students annually to also recognize the signs of eating disorders and self-harm, prevention, and treatment.

Clark, who was visibly emotional, had prepared to speak on the bill but was unable to continue, asking House Majority Whip Paul Espinosa, R-Jefferson, to read his remarks

“I have a speech prepared, but I can’t read it,” Clark said.

Reading Clark’s prepared remarks, Espinosa recounted the story of Meghan Clark, who’s eating disorder – which manifested toward the end of the 2021 legislative session — was triggered by remarks from a cheer coach. Meghan sought out weight loss advice online and on social media.

“The disorder started with a simple statement from her cheer coach that she was too fat to be a flier,” Espinosa read. “At the time, she was 125 pounds and was 5 foot 3 inches, not fat in the least.”

According to Clark’s remarks, Meghan was hiding food in napkins, vomiting after eating, restricting food, and over-exercising. She dropped to less than 90 pounds, a resting heartbeat of 20 beats per minute, and had organs shutting down. The Clark family sent Meghan to the Center for Discovery in September, an eating disorder treatment facility with locations close to Jefferson County.

“Our daughter was determined to kill herself all over the belief of the image that she looked better emaciated,” Espinosa read on behalf of Clark. “This was a fast-moving process, but one that could have been dealt with sooner if the coaches, teachers, and counselors were better trained and educated. Meghan’s Law would require this to be part of our educator’s jobs.

“Are we putting all the blame on them? No, but with their help we could have been in a better situation,” Espinosa continued to read. “Today, there are young girls and boys in our system that are suffering from eating disorders and they’re going unnoticed by parents and school service personnel.”

The bill enjoyed bipartisan support Tuesday, with Del. Danielle Walker, D-Monongalia, encouraging her fellow House members to light up the voting board green.

“Our children are more than our future. They are our present,” Walker said. “A green vote is telling our present leaders, ‘I see you.’ A green vote is going to tell our children we stand with you. A green vote is going to tell our little mountaineers we love and we’re going to do everything in our power to fight for you and fight with you.”

Meghan’s Law now heads to the state Senate for consideration.

(Adams can be contacted at sadams@newsandsentinel.com)