Bill Text: DE SB304 | 2023-2024 | 152nd General Assembly | Draft

Delaware Senate Bill 304

Bill Title: An Act To Amend Title 14 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Regulatory Provisions For Nonacademic Training And Related Resources.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-05-23 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 18 YES 3 ABSENT [SB304 Detail]

Download: Delaware-2023-SB304-Draft.html

SPONSOR:

Sen. Sturgeon & Rep. K. Williams

DELAWARE STATE SENATE

152nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE SUBSTITUTE NO. 1

FOR

SENATE BILL NO. 304

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO REGULATORY PROVISIONS FOR NONACADEMIC TRAINING AND RELATED RESOURCES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:

Section 1. Amend § 4162, Title 14 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 4162. Child safety awareness, prevention, and other nonacademic trainings [For applicability of section, see 83 Del. Laws, c. 407, § 2].

(a) Each school district and charter school shall require its employees to receive 12.5 9 hours of training every 3 years consisting of all of the following:

(2) Three hours One hour of a school bullying prevention and criminal youth gang detection training program established under § 4164(a) of this title.

(3) Four and one-half Three hours of a suicide prevention training program established under § 4165(a) of this title, with each school district and charter school employee receiving 90 60 minutes of such suicide prevention training each year.

(b) Each school district and charter school shall require a school administrator, school nurse, or school counselor serving 1 or more of the grades in grades 7 through 12 to receive 2 hours 1 hour of a teen dating violence and sexual assault training program established under § 4166(a) of this title every 3 years. This training may be included in paragraph (a)(4) of this section.

(c) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, a school district or charter school shall require all of the following:

(2) That a new school administrator, school nurse, or school counselor serving 1 or more of the grades in grades 7 through 12 in a school district or charter school receive 2 hours 1 hour of a teen dating violence and sexual assault training program established under § 4166(a) of this title within 1 year of employment in such that position.

(3) That a new school district or charter school employee receive 1 hour of bullying prevention and criminal youth gang detection training program established under § 4164(a) of this title within 1 year of employment in that position.

(4) That a new school district or charter school employee receive 1 hour of a suicide prevention training program established under § 4165(a) of this title within 1 year of employment in that position.

(g) The Department of Education shall develop regulations that create a schedule for all trainings under this section.

Section 2. Amend § 4163, Title 14 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 4163. Child abuse and child safety awareness, prevention, detection, and reporting [For applicability of section, see 83 Del. Laws, c. 407, § 2] [Effective until Nov. 6, 2024].

(b) Educational programming. —

The Child Protection Accountability Commission and the Division of Family Services of the Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families shall identify and maintain educational programming to be used by each school district and charter school for informing school district and charter school employees, students, and parents about personal body safety and child abuse and about how to detect and report child abuse. The Child Protection Accountability Commission and the Division of Family Services of the Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families, in collaboration with the Department of Education, must review the educational programming and trainings under this subsection (b) every 3 years, at a minimum, and update the educational programming and trainings as needed to be relevant to Delaware students and conform with best practices. The educational programming must include all of the following:

Section 3. Amend § 4164, Title 14 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 4164. School bullying awareness and prevention; criminal youth gang detection.

(a) School bullying prevention and criminal youth gang detection training program. —

The Department of Justice and the Department of Education, in collaboration with law-enforcement agencies, the Delaware State Education Association, the Delaware School Boards Association, and the Delaware Association of School Administrators, shall identify and maintain a school bullying prevention and criminal youth gang detection training program for school district and charter school employees. The Department of Justice and the Department of Education, in collaboration with law-enforcement agencies, the Delaware State Education Association, the Delaware School Boards Association, and the Delaware Association of School Administrators, must review these trainings every 3 years, at a minimum, and update the trainings as needed to be relevant to Delaware students and conform with best practices.

Section 4. Amend § 4165, Title 14 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 4165. Suicide awareness and prevention.

(a) Suicide prevention training program. —

The Department of Health and Social Services, the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Their Families, and the Department of Education shall identify and maintain a suicide prevention training program for school district and charter school employees that is evidence-based, whenever available. The Department of Health and Social Services, the Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families, and the Department of Education must review these trainings every 3 years, at a minimum, and update the trainings as needed to be relevant to Delaware students and conform with best practices.

Section 5. Amend § 4166, Title 14 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 4166. Teen dating violence and sexual assault awareness and prevention.

(a) Teen dating violence and sexual assault training program. —

The Delaware Domestic Violence Coordinating Council shall identify and maintain a teen dating violence and sexual assault training program for school administrators, school nurses, and school counselors serving 1 or more of the grades in grades 7 through 12. The Delaware Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, in collaboration with the Department of Education, must review these trainings every 3 years, at a minimum, and update the trainings as needed to be relevant to Delaware students and conform with best practices.

SYNOPSIS

This Act makes changes to nonacademic training requirements for school district and charter school personnel to help ensure that mandatory trainings are relevant to student needs and based on best practices. While nonacademic mandatory trainings are essential to addressing critical issues facing Delaware students, school personnel have expressed concerns related to the time burden and relevance of required trainings. Streamlining and modernizing such trainings could enhance their effectiveness and allow school personnel to spend more time meeting the needs of students. To that end, this Act makes the following changes to nonacademic training requirements for school district and charter school personnel:

(1) School bullying prevention and criminal youth gang detection training hours are reduced from 3 hours every 3 years to 1 hour every 3 years, and new employees must complete 1 hour of training within 1 year of employment.

(2) Suicide prevention training hours are reduced from 4½ hours every 3 years to 3 hours every 3 years, and new employees must complete 1 hour of training within 1 year of employment.

(3) Teen dating violence and sexual assault training hours for school administrators, nurses, and counselors serving students in grades 7 through 12 are reduced from 2 hours every 3 years to 1 hour every 3 years, and new employees must complete 1 hour of training within 1 year of employment.

This Act also directs the entities that developed these trainings to work in collaboration with the Department of Education (“the Department”) to review mandatory training programs every 3 years, at a minimum, and update the programs as necessary to ensure that they are relevant to student needs and consistent with best practices. The Department is also responsible under the Act for developing regulations that create a schedule for all trainings under § 4162 of Title 14.

Senate Substitute No. 1 for Senate Bill No. 304 differs from Senate Bill No. 304 in that it requires the entities that developed the trainings to work in collaboration with the Department to review and potentially update the trainings. In contrast, Senate Bill. No. 304 would require the Department to take the lead in revising and updating trainings in consultation with these other entities. Senate Substitute No. 1 for Senate Bill No. 304 also adds an effective date for § 4163 of Title 14 at line 31, to reflect a recent change to the effective date of the statute.

Senate Substitute No. 1 for Senate Bill No. 304 makes minor technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Author: Senator Sturgeon