The Delaware Senate passed a bill allowing all Delaware residents to vote by mail in primary, general and special elections this year. Having already passed the House of Representatives, it goes to Gov. Carney for consideration. Under the law, Delaware would be required to mail applications for mail-in ballots to every resident and cover postage fees. Under state law, there must still be at least one in-person polling place open in every election district.
The U.S. Department of Education issued guidance documents outlining dispute resolution procedures under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act during the coronavirus pandemic. The department encourages informal communication to resolve disputes, but says mediation, state complaint and due process complaint procedures are still available. It also says flexible scheduling and hearing attendance by video or telephone conference should be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Delaware Class of 2019 students with disabilities graduated at a rate of 71.59 percent – a record high for students with disabilities pursuing a standard high school diploma. It is nevertheless almost 17 points lower than the statewide rate, 88.27 percent, which encompasses the entire Delaware public school and charter student population.
Three workgroups composed of public school stakeholders ranging from the teacher’s union to the state senate to Autism Delaware met for a third week to discuss how student health, nutrition, supplies and athletics could be handled if schools reopen this fall. Of particular note were concerns about how to coordinate lunch while maintaining social distancing guidelines and the effectiveness of a hybrid schedule that had half the student body staying home on alternating days.
Two Red Clay School District Board of Education members propose ending the district’s contracts with police and constables to provide school resource officers and instead allocate the money to social workers, counselors and mental health professionals. The board members point to studies indicating students with disabilities and students of color are significantly more likely to be suspended or expelled than their peers.
