(a) The Department shall adopt rules and regulations, consistent with the laws of this State, for the maintenance, administration and supervision throughout the State of a general and efficient system of free public schools in accordance with this title, including the rules and regulations specified in subsection (b) of this section. Such rules and regulations, when prescribed and published, shall not extend, modify or conflict with any law of this State or the reasonable implications thereof, and shall be binding throughout the State.
(b) The Department shall prescribe rules and regulations:
(1) Governing the hygienic, sanitary and protective construction of school buildings; the selection, arrangement and maintenance of school sites and grounds; and the condemnation, for school purposes, of public school buildings that do not conform to such rules and regulations;
(2) Governing the physical inspection of and the protection of the health and physical welfare of public school students in the State;
(3) Governing the issuance of certificates and diplomas for the public schools of the State. Rules and regulations on this subject shall be proposed by the Secretary subject to approval by the State Board of Education;
(4) Notwithstanding any other provision, rule, regulation or law to the contrary, determining the minimum number of core classes a student must take and pass each year in order to advance to a higher level; provided however, that the regulation shall, at a minimum, require students in first through eighth grades to pass at least 50% of all classes taken for credit, excluding physical education, and further provided that no student shall be passed to a higher grade level, without passing English/language arts or its equivalent each school year. These requirements shall be in addition to any limitations on grade level promotion or any other requirements imposed upon students pursuant to subchapter III of Chapter 1 of this title. Rules and regulations on this subject shall be proposed by the Secretary subject to approval by the State Board of Education.
(5) Determining the minimum courses of study for all public elementary schools and all public high schools of the State, including ensuring that all elementary school students have an opportunity to attend a school where all elementary school subjects, with the exception of foreign languages, are taught in the English language and requiring that all pupils of all public elementary schools and all public high schools of the State be instructed in physiology and hygiene, with special reference to the effects of alcoholic drinks, stimulants and narcotics upon the human system. Rules and regulations on this subject shall be proposed by the Secretary subject to approval by the State Board of Education;
(6) Establishing recommended statewide uniform curricula for all public schools of the State. Teachers shall have a role in the curriculum alignment process. Districts shall provide evidence to the Department of Education of curriculum alignment within 12 months of the completion of the recommended curricula in each content area.
(7) Governing the attendance of teachers now employed and prospective teachers at the summer schools at the University of Delaware and Delaware State University, and, in cooperation with the Presidents of those institutions, determining the conditions by which such teachers and prospective teachers may receive from the State all or a part of the expenses incurred by such summer school attendance;
(8) Implementing the Delaware Higher Education Office’s purpose and responsibilities, governing postsecondary institutions that are not established according to Delaware law, and administering student assistance programs. Rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this subsection are subject to the approval of the State Board of Education;
(9) Determining the days on which the schools are closed by the authority of the local board for such reasons as storms, necessary repairs, quarantine, destruction of school property by fire, or other causes. Under the above conditions, a school employee shall suffer no loss of pay, and the total number of hours required by § 1049(a)(1) of this title may be adjusted accordingly. Any excusal of educational hour requirements set forth in § 1049(a)(1) shall be approved by the Secretary and the State Board of Education;
(10) Providing for the enforcement of school attendance laws of this State, controlling the necessary absence of pupils enrolled in the public schools, and determining the circumstances under which such absence shall be considered necessary. Rules and regulations on this subject shall be proposed by the Secretary subject to approval by the State Board of Education;
(11) Requiring a uniform series of forms and blanks for the keeping and reporting of all financial accounts, the annual school budget and all educational records and providing a series of forms and blanks for the same; and determining a standardized format for district and charter school financial reports, which shall include, but not be limited to, the current budget with expenditures, encumbrances and remaining balances by budget component. District and charter school financial reports shall be posted monthly on the district or charter school website and shall be provided in writing upon request. Any reporting or posting shall be consistent with state law.
(12) Providing for the physical examination of students and for the mental examination of such students who have made no advancement in their studies for 3 successive years of regular attendance and ensuring the implementation of § 3122 of this title;
(13) Assuring the permanent maintenance for a period of not less than the number of years required by the Delaware Public Archives of the personnel records of all employees of all the school districts of the State, including those employees who terminate employment in the district. These records shall include, but not be limited to, all annual salaries and sick leave and vacation information;
(14) Providing for instruction in driver education during the summer months beyond the period usually designated as the school term. The Department shall, subject to approval by the State Board of Education, propose rules and regulations under this paragraph (b)(14). Such rules and regulations must provide for a comprehensive, quality program that, at a minimum, does all of the following:
a. Uses dual-controlled vehicles, adheres to procedures provided in § 2710(c) of Title 21, and requires that pupils demonstrate knowledge related to traffic stops by a law-enforcement officer under § 2713(e) of Title 21.
b. Makes the program available to any pupil who is a resident of the reorganized school district in which the program is offered or in which the program is offered in cooperation with other reorganized school districts, who has been enrolled in or is eligible for enrollment in the tenth grade or who is enrolled in grades 11 or 12, or who has reached that pupil’s own fifteenth birthday on or before July 15.
c. Assigns teachers on a ratio of 1 teacher for each 125 qualified pupils, or assigns 1/5 of a teacher for each 25 qualified pupils, unless these ratios are modified by other sections of this title enacted after July 1, 1967.
d. Provides instruction to qualified pupils without charge.
e. Requires driver education teachers be regularly certified to teach driver education.
f. Pays salaries to teachers assigned to the program in accordance with Chapter 13 of this title.
(15) [Repealed.]
(16) Requiring health and wellness educational programs for grades K through 12, emphasizing the health enhancement benefits of seat belt usage, exercise, proper nutrition, and the avoidance of unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and drug abuse. Rules and regulations on this subject shall be proposed by the Secretary subject to approval by the State Board of Education. An advisory and resource committee comprised of the Secretary of Public Safety, the Secretary of Health and Social Services, and the Secretary of Education is hereby established to assist in the development of the program;
(17) Establishing mandatory drug and alcohol educational programs in each grade, kindergarten through grade 12, in each public school in this State. Rules and regulations on this subject shall be proposed by the Secretary subject to approval by the State Board of Education;
(18) Providing for the operation of adult education and family literacy programs including, but not limited to, adult basic education, literacy education, adult high school, prison education, apprenticeship programs and family literacy. Rules and regulations on this subject shall be proposed by the Secretary subject to approval by the State Board of Education;
(19) Providing, in cooperation with the Family Services Cabinet Council, for the operation of state-supported early education preschool intervention and birth mandate programs that are authorized by this title and designed to enhance individual student readiness for public school, unless specific authority is vested elsewhere by this Code;
(20) Establishing and monitoring the enforcement, in cooperation with the Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, of standards for state-operated residential programs associated with state-operated educational programs that are authorized by this title;
(21) Establishing mandatory research-based fire safety education in grades kindergarten through grade 6 in each public school in this State as part of the appropriate subject area curriculum. Fire safety education may be taught by professional or volunteer firefighters. The education program shall be agreed upon jointly by the Secretary of Education and the Director of the State Fire School;
(22) Relating to public school teacher preparation, recruitment and retention. Regulations promulgated pursuant to this section shall provide that no individual, public or private educational association, corporation or institution, including any institution of post-secondary education, shall offer a course, or courses, for the training of school teachers to be licensed in this State without first having procured the assent of the Department for the offering of such courses;
(23) Requiring each reorganized school district and charter school to assess the physical fitness of each student at least once at the appropriate elementary school level (kindergarten through grade 5), the middle level (grade 6 through grade 8), and the high school level (grade 9 through grade 12), with the results to be provided to the parent, guardian or relative caregiver. Provided further, the fitness assessment shall be administered at common grade levels statewide;
(24) Defining eligibility for supportive instruction for school district and charter school students. Such regulations shall identify the licensed professionals authorized to certify eligibility for supportive instruction and provide that the certification of an advanced practice nurse, who is employed by or who has a collaborative agreement with a licensed physician, be accepted on the same basis as a physician certification. For purposes of this paragraph, “supportive instruction” means an alternative educational program provided in a home, hospital, or other setting for students temporarily unable to attend their school of enrollment on a full-time basis due to sudden illness, injury, accident, episodic flare up of a chronic condition, or other basis authorized by the Department of Education through regulation;
(25) Providing for the governance of any longitudinal data system or database, and governing the collection, use, maintenance, disclosure and sharing of educational records and the information contained therein. Rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to this subparagraph shall be developed in consultation and cooperation with the P-20 Council and Interagency Resource Management Committee (IRMC) and with the consent of the State Board of Education and shall comply with state and federal privacy and confidentiality laws, including, without limitation, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act [20 U.S.C. § 1232g], the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment [20 U.S.C. § 1232h] and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [20 U.S.C. § 1401 et seq.] each as amended from time to time;
(26) Establishing, for purposes of student discipline, uniform definitions for student conduct which may result in alternative placement or expulsion, uniform due process procedures for alternative placement meetings and expulsion hearings, and uniform procedures for processing Attorney General’s reports. Such regulations shall apply to all districts and charter schools. This paragraph shall not be interpreted to restrict the ability of district and charter schools to determine which student conduct shall result in expulsion or an alternative placement;
(27) a. Implementing a 1-time fee of no more than $100 for all applicants for an educator’s first license in Delaware; provided, however, that the fee shall be reimbursed for any applicant who becomes employed as an educator in a Delaware public school. All moneys collected pursuant to this paragraph shall be deposited in the General Fund, with the exception of $90,000, which shall be retained annually by the Department in a special fund to be established for the sole purpose of reimbursing educators. Rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to this paragraph shall be subject to approval by the State Board of Education;
b. An applicant who meets the performance assessment requirement in subchapter II of Chapter 12 of this title and becomes employed in a Delaware public school will be reimbursed no less than $100. The reimbursements may be provided from funds collected under paragraph (b)(27)a. of this section; and
(28) Developing a process for districts and charter schools to annually identify any enrolled student who is a “military-connected youth.” For purposes of this section, a “military-connected youth” means having an immediate family member, including a parent, stepparent, sibling or any other person residing in the same household, who is on active duty in; serving in the reserve component; or recently retired from a “branch of the United States armed forces.” For purposes of this section, “branch of the United States armed forces” means all of the following:
a. United States Army.
b. United States Air Force.
c. United States Marine Corps.
d. United States Navy.
e. National Guard.
f. United States Coast Guard.
g. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
h. United States Public Health Service.
i. United States Space Force.
The identification of a “military-connected youth” shall not be used for purposes of determining school achievement, growth, or performance. Provided further, the identification of a “military-connected youth” is not a public record under Delaware’s Freedom of Information Act (Chapter 100 of Title 29) or any other law and shall not be made public by any person, except as permitted under the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, 20 U.S.C. § 1232g. Rules and regulations on this subject shall be proposed by the Secretary subject to approval by the State Board of Education.
(29) Establishing mandatory instruction in age- and developmentally-appropriate social emotional learning and mental health content in all public schools no later than the 2023-2024 school year. Recommended high quality evidence-based or evidence-informed educational programming resources to be identified by the Department of Education in collaboration with, but not limited to, district and charter school educators, Department of Health and Social Services, Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families, and National Alliance on Mental Illness Delaware (NAMI Delaware).
(30) Ensuring that the implementation of content standards is aligned to a culturally-responsive education with instruction that fosters academic achievement and cultural competence, intentionally acknowledges and values diversity of contributions and the experiences of all learners, and provides opportunities for individuals to see themselves and others in their learning, including by updating the Department’s current diversity regulation [14 DE Admin. Code § 220] to include a nonexhaustive list of racial, ethnic, and cultural groups and promoting the integration of their contributions into local K-12 curricula.
(31) Requiring all school districts and charter schools to utilize a single, uniform student information system, as contracted for by the Department of Education.
(c) The Department shall implement rules and regulations promulgated and adopted by the Professional Standards Board and State Board of Education pursuant to § 1203 of this title governing qualifications, licensure, and certification of educators in all public schools of this State.
(d) The Department of Education shall perform and issue a written educational impact analysis of any new proposed regulation and of any regulation that is proposed to be continued pursuant to the review required by subsection (e) of this section. Such educational impact analysis shall address the following criteria:
(1) Whether the proposed regulation or the regulation sought to be continued is justified because it will help improve student achievement as measured against state achievement standards;
(2) Whether the proposed regulation or the regulation sought to be continued is justified because it will help ensure that all students receive an equitable education, that their health and safety are adequately protected and that their legal rights are respected;
(3) Whether the proposed regulation or the regulation sought to be continued preserves the necessary authority and flexibility of decision makers at the local board and school level and does not place unnecessary reporting or administrative requirements or mandates upon them;
(4) Whether the proposed regulation or the regulation sought to be continued places decision making authority and accountability for addressing the subject to be regulated in the same entity;
(5) Whether the proposed regulation or the regulation sought to be continued is consistent with and not an impediment to the implementation of other state educational policies, in particular to state educational policies addressing achievement in the core academic subjects of mathematics, science, language arts and social studies;
(6) Whether there is a less burdensome method for addressing the purpose of the proposed regulation or the regulation sought to be continued; and
(7) The cost to the state and local school boards of compliance with the proposed regulation or the regulation sought to be continued.
(e) For the purpose of ensuring that all regulations are current, that unnecessary or unduly burdensome regulations are repealed or modified, and that more frequent comment from affected constituencies may be obtained, the Department of Education shall establish a process whereby each of its regulations in existence as of January 1, 1997, shall be subjected to review and readoption within the 4 years succeeding such date. Such review and readoption, or modification or repeal, shall be preceded by publication pursuant to Chapter 101 of Title 29. Any such regulation that the Department of Education readopts or readopts in modified form shall be accompanied by an educational impact analysis as required by subsection (d) of this section. Any regulation adopted by the Department of Education subsequent to January 1, 1997, shall be made effective for no more than 5 years and shall be subject to the review and readoption process set forth in this subsection.
(f) For the purpose of ensuring that state regulations do not impede innovation or the improvement of student achievement, the Department of Education in conformity with subsection (g) of this section may, upon application by a local board of education established pursuant to a provision of this title, waive any rule or regulation where:
(1) Such a waiver would further the accomplishment of state educational policies, particularly those state educational policies addressing student achievement in the core academic subjects of mathematics, science, language arts and social studies;
(2) Such a waiver would not impose undue administrative burdens upon the State or harm the State’s ability to ensure that public funds are properly expended and that applicable state and federal laws are followed; and
(3) The purpose of the regulation or rule to be waived can be satisfied in a less burdensome or different manner than through compliance with the rule or regulation.
The school board of the district making such waiver request shall give notice of the consideration by notices posted in at least 10 public places in the district and on the door of every school in the district at least 20 days prior to the public meeting of the board of education at which the waiver request will be presented and discussed. The public shall be provided an opportunity to present comments concerning the waiver to be requested at a meeting of the local board following posting and preceding its formal adoption.
(g) For the purposes of ensuring that state regulations do not impede innovation or the improvement of student achievement, the local board may propose, upon application of a duly established school-based committee pursuant to a provision of this title or a school principal of a school without such a committee who demonstrates significant faculty support for the waiver application, that any state rule or regulation, subject to exemption in § 505 of this title be waived where it makes written findings that: (i) such a waiver would further the accomplishment of state and local educational policies, particularly those policies addressing student achievement in the core academic subjects of mathematics, science, language arts and social studies; (ii) such a waiver would not impose undue administrative burden upon the State or harm the State’s ability to ensure that public funds are properly expended and that applicable state and federal laws are followed; and (iii) the purpose of the regulation or rule to be waived can be satisfied in a less burdensome or different manner than through compliance with the rule or regulation. The board of education of the district in which the waiver is requested shall give notice of the receipt of such waiver request as follows:
(1) By notices posted in at least 10 public places in the district and on the door of every school in the district at least 20 days prior to the public meeting of the board at which the proposed waiver request will be presented and discussed. The public shall be provided an opportunity to present comments concerning the requested waiver at a meeting of the local board following posting and prior to its formal proposal; and
(2) The board of education shall transmit its written findings pursuant to subsection (g) of this section supporting the proposed waiver to the Department of Education within 5 days thereafter. Within 20 days thereof, the Department of Education may schedule, upon 20 days public notice, a hearing to consider whether to approve the proposed waiver. Absent the scheduling of such a hearing within such time period, the proposed waiver shall be considered approved by the Department of Education and shall then become effective, subject to State Board denial pursuant to this subsection. If the Department of Education schedules a hearing to consider a proposed waiver, it shall issue its decision within 30 days of the hearing. The State Board shall be advised of any waiver of a regulation it must promulgate or approve, and may deny such waiver by action taken within 30 days or by the next regularly scheduled meeting, whichever is earlier, of the waiver’s approval by the Department.
(h) (1) Except as otherwise required by law, mandated by federal authority, or as determined by the Secretary to be an emergency situation requiring immediate action to protect public health or safety, no new or amended rule, regulation, or administrative procedure adopted by the Department which has a direct financial impact for the local school district, any school within a local school district or charter school, shall become effective for a local school district or any school within a local school district or charter school after the start of a fiscal year (July 1) unless the superintendent for that district or head of school for that charter school specifically approves such rule, regulation, or administrative procedure to be effective during that fiscal year.
(2) “Administrative procedure”, as used in this subsection, means any action that establishes a method, practice, program, or procedure to be followed by a school or local school district or charter school.