The Overview
If your child is in a Delaware state youth-services facility, the unit that provides their schooling is now written into state law. Delaware's House Bill 313, which writes the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families (DSCYF) Education Unit into state law, became law when Gov. Matt Meyer (D) signed it July 23.
The education provided to incarcerated youth in Delaware had drawn scrutiny: Bay to Bay News reported that nearly 500 children moved through the state's juvenile justice system in a single year between July 2020 and June 2021. Before the law passed, the Education Unit operated without a statutory basis, meaning its structure, staffing and responsibilities existed only in practice, not in state code.
What the Law Does
The law codifies the DSCYF Education Unit, the body that provides educational services to children and youth living in facilities operated by DSCYF, by writing it into Titles 14 and 29 of the Delaware Code. It also addresses staffing, qualifications and pay structure for educators working in those facilities, according to Citizen Portal.
Legislative Status
Rep. Kimberly Williams, a Democrat, sponsored the bill and presented it to the House Education Committee, which described it as codifying the existing Education Unit. Five other lead sponsors joined her: Sen. Laura Sturgeon (D), Sen. Dave Sokola (D), Sen. Dave Lawson (R), Sen. Stell Selby (D), and Sarah McBride.
Both chambers passed the bill without a single no vote: the House approved it 35-0 on April 23, and the Senate passed it 21-0 on June 23. Across both chambers, the bill collected 56 yes votes and zero no votes.
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