An Act To Amend Title 14 Of The Delaware Code Relating To School Bullying.
Summary
SB 253 amends Delaware’s school bullying statute in Title 14 to change how parents are notified when a bullying incident is reported. Under current law, school district and charter school bullying policies must include a requirement that parents of a student who is a target of bullying or a perpetrator of bullying be notified and given a form generated by the Department of Justice describing the role and contact information for the DOJ School Ombudsman. This bill repeals the requirement that the notification use a DOJ-generated form, while preserving the underlying parent-notification obligation.
The bill also includes technical corrections to align the statute with the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. According to the synopsis, the change is intended to conform the law to the Department of Justice’s current practices and procedures regarding student behavior issues, rather than alter the broader bullying-reporting framework.
Impact
The bill makes a targeted amendment to 14 Del. C. § 4164, which governs school bullying awareness, prevention, and related reporting requirements. Its practical effect is to remove a statutory mandate that schools use a Department of Justice-generated form when notifying parents about bullying incidents, while leaving in place the requirement that parents be notified and informed about the DOJ School Ombudsman and their right to know when an incident has been reported to the Department of Education. School districts and charter schools will need to update bullying policies and notification materials accordingly.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill was broadly supported and noncontroversial: it passed Senate Third Reading unanimously, 19-0. The lack of committee transcript material also suggests there was little recorded opposition or extended debate in the materials provided. Overall, the bill appears to have been viewed as a technical and administrative cleanup measure rather than a substantive policy shift.
Contention
The main point of change is the removal of the requirement that parent notifications be made on a form generated by the Department of Justice. Any concern would likely center on whether eliminating that specific form could reduce consistency or visibility in bullying-related communications, but the synopsis frames the change as aligning the statute with current DOJ practice. No explicit opposition or competing viewpoints are reflected in the provided vote or transcript record.