Challenges with student behavior continue to strain schools across Delaware.
Following a survey decrying “unaddressed student behavioral challenges,” 3 out of every 5 respondents within Delaware’s largest teachers union indicated they were more likely to leave public education due to trials with the same.
Some 81% advocated for districtwide phone restrictions. That came among other suggestions from DSEA to the Student Behavior and School Climate task force convened this year.
That body’s first report is now out. In this weekly roundup, we’ll catch you up on this and other education updates you may have missed.
Student behavior task force releases first report, recommendations
Recommendations came in nine sections and over 50 bullet points.
Over a dozen of those points correspond to directives already required by the state, while members agreed they require more support to actually implement.
Recommendations included several requests for Delaware’s Department of Education to develop standardized policies, from a school-bus discipline matrix, an attendance policy, discipline procedures for students with disabilities and much more. It joins calls to expand professional development and higher-education collaborations.
Members also asked DDOE to increase oversight of individualized education plans, or IEPs, via regular audits, while districts and charters better establish neutral mediation processes for special education disputes.
It called on the department’s School Climate Advisory Group to collaborate with lawmakers to “examine the framework” of Senate Bill 85, to recommend potential changes that “more fully realize the spirit of the legislation.”
This 2018 legislation marked a significant push for more restorative discipline interventions in Delaware, fewer out-of-school suspensions and corrective plans for those systems showing significant suspension disparities. This task force recommended the advisory group also examine in-school-suspension models that keep students in school.
The task force also called on the next General Assembly to expand existing standards for “Multi-Tiered Systems of Support” — student support framework already in all Delaware schools. That includes greater funding for interventions and alternative programming, as well as boosted funding for alternative placements.
The group also pointed to a restrictive statewide cellphone policy. And several points looked to see that the next General Assembly “investigates” class size and co-teaching requirements as it relates to outcomes and behavior.
The group also recommended further funding for experts to review Delaware’s “school climate and discipline practices” and place behavior analysts in schools.
Chair Sen. Bryan Townsend expects the task force’s work to continue.
“I think the reality is there is a lot to figure out with regard to the small number of students who present some of the biggest challenges — what kind of programming is there for them?” the Senate’s majority leader said back in late September. “And then again, I think in many ways the tougher conversation with task force on a longer-term basis is the drivers of all of this for a lot of students.”
More recommendations can be found in the full report, now online.
(This coverage is developing, come back to Delaware Online/The News Journal for more reporting related to challenges with student behavior and school climate. Got a story? Email me: kepowers@gannett.com)
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Diwali Festival to share tradition, celebrate heritage in New Castle
Vaishnav Sangh of Delaware has been preparing a “vibrant experience” to mark it’s Diwali Festival.
Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated across other Indian religions. It symbolizes the spiritual “victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance,” running this year from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1. This Delaware festival is expected to bring cultural performances, traditional art displays and interactive workshops for children and adults to learn more about the holiday to the Nur Shrine Center, according to VSD.
Traditionally during Diwali, VSD explained, families don their best clothes, illuminate the interior and exterior of their homes with diyas and rangoli — or oil lamps and intricate drawings — perform worship ceremonies of Lakshmi — the goddess of prosperity and wealth — light fireworks, feast and much more.
“This event is a celebration of our rich cultural heritage and promises to be an engaging and vibrant experience for the attendees,” said Kunal Modi, head of the nonprofit’s public relations committee.
If you go
What: Diwali Festival
When: Between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., Nov. 11
Where: Nur Shrine Center, 198 S. Dupont Highway, New Castle
Got a story? Kelly Powers covers race, culture and equity for Delaware Online/The News Journal and USA TODAY Network Northeast, with a focus on education. Contact her at kepowers@gannett.com or (231) 622-2191, and follow her on X @kpowers01.