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HB77 • 2025

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO TRAINING FOR SCHOOL BOARDS.

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO TRAINING FOR SCHOOL BOARDS.

Education Labor
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Morrison
Last action
2025-09-02
Official status
Signed 9/2/25
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official bill metadata lists an effective date field as empty, though standard practice suggests it becomes effective upon signature unless specified otherwise.

New Training Rules for Delaware School Board Members

This law requires school board members in Delaware, including charter boards, to finish specific training on meeting rules and ethics at the start of their terms.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires new board members to learn about public meeting laws under state code and the Freedom of Information Act.
  • Mandates training on best practices for running meetings, including using standard rules of order.
  • Teaches board members about the State Employees', Officers' and Officials' Code of Conduct.
  • Requires school districts or charter schools to offer this virtual training at least twice a year.
  • Allows these new lessons to be combined with existing financial responsibility training sessions.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Members of local public school boards
  • Members of charter school boards of directors

Terms To Know

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
A law that says government meetings and records must be open to the public.
Rules of Order
Standard steps for how a group should run its meeting, such as who speaks next or how votes happen.
Code of Conduct
A set of rules that tells government officials what behavior is allowed and expected from them.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not state a specific effective date, only the Governor's signature date.
  • It does not list any penalties for board members who fail to finish the training by January 15.
  • The exact content of the lessons will be decided later through regulations created by the Department of Education.

Bill History

  1. 2025-09-02 Delaware General Assembly

    Signed by Governor

  2. 2025-06-30 Delaware General Assembly

    Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES

  3. 2025-06-25 Delaware General Assembly

    Reported Out of Committee (Education) in Senate with 6 On Its Merits

  4. 2025-06-24 Delaware General Assembly

    Passed By House. Votes: 40 YES 1 VACANT

  5. 2025-06-24 Delaware General Assembly

    Assigned to Education Committee in Senate

  6. 2025-03-26 Delaware General Assembly

    Reported Out of Committee (Education) in House with 10 On Its Merits

  7. 2025-03-18 Delaware General Assembly

    Introduced and Assigned to Education Committee in House

Official Summary Text

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO TRAINING FOR SCHOOL BOARDS.
This Act requires that members of school boards, including charter school boards, receive training on all of the following:
1. Requirements for school board meetings under this title and the Freedom of Information Act, Chapter 100 of Title 29.
2. Best practices regarding the conduct of meetings, including the use of rules of order.
3. The State Employees’, Officers’ and Officials’ Code of Conduct, subchapter I. of Chapter 58 of Title 29.

Most school boards already provide training that satisfies the requirements under this Act and the training and notices required under this Act may be combined with the training and notices already required under § 1803 of Title 14 for required financial responsibility training.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. Morrison & Sen. Sturgeon & Sen. Lockman & Rep. K. Williams & Rep. Romer & Rep. Wilson-Anton

Reps. Lynn, S. Moore, Neal, Phillips, Burns, Ortega, Ross Levin, Kamela Smith, Snyder-Hall, Gorman, Bush, Lambert; Sens. Sokola, Hansen, Walsh, Poore

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE BILL NO. 77

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO TRAINING FOR SCHOOL BOARDS.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:

Section 1. Amend § 1049B, Title 14 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows and redesignating accordingly:

§ 1049B.

Training program.

School board training.

(a)

(1)

In order to best understand the educational and legal issues involved in special education due process hearings, each school board member must

receive

complete

training at the beginning of that member’s term on a school board concerning special education due process hearings.

(2) I

n order to understand and fulfill the requirements of office, each school board member must complete training on all of the following at the beginning of that member’s term on a school board:

a. Requirements for school board meetings under this title and the Freedom of Information Act, Chapter 100 of Title 29.

b. Best practices regarding the conduct of meetings, including the use of rules of order.

c. The State Employees’, Officers’ and Officials’ Code of Conduct, subchapter I. of Chapter 58 of Title 29.

(b)(1)

The Department of Education

(Department)

through regulations

shall establish

through regulations,

the criteria, material, and method of

such

the

training

program.

required under paragraph (a)(1) of this section. The delivery of the training may be delegated to or purchased from another entity.

(2)a. The Department must identify trainings on the topics required under paragraph (a)(2) of this section.

b. Each school district is responsible for offering the trainings required under paragraph (a)(2) of this section to school board members. The delivery of the training may be delegated to or purchased from another entity.

(3)

The training

required under subsection (a) of this section

must be offered virtually at least twice a year.

Delivery of the training may be delegated outside the Department of Education.

(b)

(c)

The president of a school board shall inform each newly-elected or appointed member of the school board of the obligation to complete training under subsection (a) of this section. By January 15 each year, the president of a school board shall send a letter to any board member who has not completed the training required under

subsection (a) of

this section by January 1 following the board member’s election or appointment.

(d) The training and notices required under this section may be combined with the training and notices required for financial responsibility training under § 1803 of this title.

Section 2. Amend § 519, Title 14 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows and redesignating accordingly:

§ 519.

Training program.

Charter school board training.

(a)

(1)

In order to best understand the educational and legal issues involved in special education due process hearings, each member of a charter school board of directors must

receive

complete

training at the beginning of that member’s term on a charter school board concerning special education due process hearings.

(2) In order to understand and fulfill the requirements of office, each charter school board member must complete training on all of the following at the beginning of that member’s term on a charter school board:

a. Requirements for charter school board meetings under this title and the Freedom of Information Act, Chapter 100 of Title 29.

b. Best practices regarding the conduct of meetings, including the use of rules of order.

c. The State Employees’, Officers’ and Officials’ Code of Conduct, subchapter I. of Chapter 58 of Title 29.

(b)(1)

The Department of Education

(Department)

through regulations

shall establish

through regulations,

the criteria, material, and method of

such

the

training

program.

required under paragraph (a)(1) of this section. The delivery of the training may be delegated to or purchased from another entity.

(2)a. The Department must identify trainings on the topics required under paragraph (a)(2) of this section.

b. Each charter school is responsible for offering the trainings required under paragraph (a)(2) of this section to members of the charter school board of directors. The delivery of the training may be delegated to or purchased from another entity.

(3)

The training

required under subsection (a) of this section

must be offered virtually at least twice a year.

Delivery of the training may be delegated outside the Department of Education.

(b)

(c)

The president of a charter school board of directors shall inform each newly-elected or appointed member of the board of directors of the obligation to complete training under subsection (a) of this section. By January 15 each year, the president of a charter school board of directors shall send a letter to any board member who has not completed the training required under

subsection (a) of

this section by January 1 following the board member’s election or appointment.

(d) The training and notices required under this section may be combined with the training and notices required for financial responsibility training under § 1803 of this title.

SYNOPSIS

This Act requires that members of school boards, including charter school boards, receive training on all of the following:

1. Requirements for school board meetings under this title and the Freedom of Information Act, Chapter 100 of Title 29.

2. Best practices regarding the conduct of meetings, including the use of rules of order.

3. The State Employees’, Officers’ and Officials’ Code of Conduct, subchapter I. of Chapter 58 of Title 29.

Most school boards already provide training that satisfies the requirements under this Act and the training and notices required under this Act may be combined with the training and notices already required under § 1803 of Title 14 for required financial responsibility training.