House Bill 240 (151st General Assembly) – This bill creates the Korey Thompson Student Emergency Housing Assistance Fund, which would provide assistance to housing insecure undergraduate students attending a college or university in Delaware. Under the bill, the Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) would monitor all money deposited in the fund, including administering $90,000 of appropriated funds for fiscal 2022. DSHA would develop the eligibility criteria, and an application process that would be exclusive to students attending school in the state.
House Bill 123 (151st General Assembly) – This legislation would require the University of Delaware, Delaware State University and Delaware Tech Community College to waive all tuition and fees, including room and board, for any young person who ages out of the foster care system at age 18 or later, or who has spent at least one year in foster care as a teenager. Youth enrolled as full-time students would also have access to year-round campus housing, eliminating a significant barrier. Youth would be required to apply for all available financial aid before having the remaining tuition and fees waived and would remain eligible for the waiver until age 26.
Senate Bill 12 and Senate Bill 95 (151st General Assembly) – Senate Bill 12 expands Delaware’s landmark Student Excellence Equals Degree (SEED) program, while Senate Bill 95 increases Delaware State University’s Inspire scholarship program. Together, these measures will help fortify Delaware’s workforce and allow Delawareans of all backgrounds to earn profitable skills and certifications without the financial strain of college debt.
SB 12, known as SEED+, will expand the SEED scholarship program to include adults and others previously excluded. The expansion will allow residents of all ages to develop the skills necessary to enter high-paying, in-demand fields through Delaware Tech’s non-credit workforce development programs and its academic credential courses.
House Bill 100 (151st General Assembly) – This bill establishes a mental health services unit for Delaware elementary schools, allowing for schools to hire one full-time school counselor, school social worker, or licensed clinical social worker for every 250 students in grades kindergarten through fifth. It also would allow the hiring of one full-time school psychologist or licensed mental health therapist for every 700 elementary school students.
This bill will address the disparity and shortfall of mental health professionals in Delaware elementary schools. For far too long, the mental health of our students has been treated as a secondary need – if even that much. The truth is, the mental health of our young students is vital to them growing, learning and becoming successful adults. This pandemic has only magnified the need to put our students’ mental wellness at the front of the line.
According to the CDC, one in six U.S. children aged 2-8 years had a diagnosed mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder, such as depression, ADHD, anxiety and other behavioral problems. Untreated mental illness can lead to increased risk of dropout, homelessness, substance abuse, other chronic illnesses, incarceration, and possibly suicide.
House Bill 86 (151st General Assembly) – This bill provides increased funding for K-3 special education services. Currently, basic special education is provided for students in fourth through twelfth grade who are identified as eligible for basic special education and related services; there is no additional unit funding for students in kindergarten through third grade who may be eligible for basic special education services.
House Bill 175 (151st General Assembly) – This bill allows one excused absence per school year for students grades 6 through 12 to attend civic engagements such as visits to the United States Capitol, Legislative Hall, and sites of political and cultural significance, or participation in a rally, march, protest, or walkout. For a student to attend a civic engagement event, the student’s parent or guardian must provide written permission no later than 3 school days prior to the student’s planned absence.
House Bill 163 (151st General Assembly) – This bill requires schools to excuse a pupil’s absence for observance of a religious holiday, and further requires districts and charters to have a policy discouraging teachers from scheduling tests, presentations and the like on days where some students may be absent for a religious holiday. A pupil who does miss a grading event must be allowed to make-up the test or otherwise recover credit.
HCR 40 (150th General Assembly) – This resolution outlines the need for expansion of the exchange network between school and county libraries and requests that the Secretary of State develop and implement such expansion.
Statistics from the Delaware School Libraries master plan show that access to a high-quality school library results in better student performance. Expanding the Delaware Library Catalog Consortium would aid that goal by connecting public and school libraries so more students would be able to access the reading materials they need right in their schools. HCR 40 outlines that need for our students.
HB 101 (150th General Assembly) – This bill requires high needs elementary schools, including high needs elementary charter schools, to have school-based health centers. High needs elementary schools are defined as any elementary school in the top quartile of 3 or more in percentage of low-income students, percentage of English learners, percentage of students with disabilities, percentage of minority students, or having 90% of its students classified as low-income, English learners, or minority.
SB 78 (150th General Assembly) – This bill requires health education programs to instruct students on the meaning of “consent” in a sexual encounter. Many young people have a poor or no understanding of how consent works, and educating students on consent is a vital tool for preventing sexual assaults and promoting healthy relationships.
SS 1 for Senate Bill 85 (149th General Assembly) – This school discipline transparency reform is a step forward for restorative justice in Delaware. Data shows that the majority of school suspensions are for minor offenses, and disproportionately impact students of color and those with disabilities. School suspensions do not address the root cause of the issue – and only put students further behind in class. This legislation requires schools to collect data on out-of-school suspensions and incorporate policies that include restorative practices, trauma-informed care and cultural competency.
In 2013, only 2% of out-of-school suspensions were for serious offenses such as weapons, drugs, or serious violence. Furthermore, Department of Education data shows that, in 2013, African-American students made up only 32% of the student body, but accounted for 62% of out-of-school suspension, and students with disabilities made up 13% of the student body, but accounted for 24% of out-of-school suspensions. These practices damage education and career opportunities for kids, and impact the schools too.
House Bill 81 (148th General Assembly) – Added the name and contact information for a federal Title IX coordinator for every public school, including public institutions of higher learning, to the existing Education Profile reports compiled by the state Department of Education. The Title IX coordinator’s responsibilities include hearing reports of sexual discrimination and misconduct and advising students of their rights and courses of action.
House Bill 90 (148th General Assembly) – Requires all public school employees receive 90 minutes of training each year on suicide prevention; Requires all public schools to establish a suicide prevention committee; Requires local education agencies to create a suicide prevention policy.
House Resolution 39 (148th General Assembly) – This resolution creates the Statewide Afterschool Initiative Learning Task Force. This builds on efforts to develop afterschool engagement of students that will provide extended learning, homework assistance, enrichment, and nutrition. Quality afterschool programs have been proven to enhance student engagement, improve likelihood that students will stay in school, and graduate on time.
Senate Bill 213 (148th General Assembly) – Requires a specified curriculum to be used by all of Delaware’s public schools to educate public school employees who are employed at schools with any of the grades pre-kindergarten through 6, students in grades pre-kindergarten through 6, and parents of a child in grades pre-kindergarten through 6 about personal body safety and child sexual abuse. The bill is named Erin’s Law in honor of Erin Merryn, a victim of child sexual abuse, who is working to enact legislation on this subject throughout the country.
House Concurrent Resolution 80 (148th General Assembly) – Recognizing the contributions of speech-language pathologists and audiologists in Delaware.
House Bill 235 (147th General Assembly) – Designated bicycling as the state sport of Delaware. The 4th grade students at Wilbur and Southern Elementary School advocated for this bill’s passage and participated in learning how a bill becomes a law.
House Bill 381 (145th General Assembly) – Allows 16-year-olds to register to vote through the DMV when they apply for their driver’s license.
House Bill 275 (145th General Assembly) – Ends a discriminatory practice by the Colonial School District in which teachers who have gone on maternity leave as prescribed in the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) were not permitted to return to their classrooms. Instead, the teachers were shuffled around and assigned to different classes throughout the district.