AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO DRIVER EDUCATION CERTIFICATION.

The bill expanded from a two-line amendment (allowing summer completion and adding IEP team collaboration) into a full rewrite of Section 4125 with detailed subsections covering academic eligibility, special education provisions, and remediation.

Added a requirement that students demonstrate knowledge of traffic stops by a law enforcement officer as required under Section 2713(e) of Title 21 before certification.

Added detailed academic credit requirements: at least 5 credits in regular courses of study (or local governing body approved equivalent), with at least 2 credits in separate areas from English, mathematics, science, world language, or social studies.

Added a remediation provision: if a student completes the driver education course but does not meet certification requirements, the student has the next marking period to qualify; if they still do not meet requirements at the end of that period, they are ineligible.

Changed the grade-level requirement from 'met minimum credit requirements to qualify as a tenth grader' to 'was enrolled in tenth or a higher grade, on or before September 30 of the school year when enrolled in the driver education course.'

Extended the special education timeline from 'authorized until age 21' to 'until the student's eligibility for special education and related services terminates because the student is 22 years old.'

Added 'world language' as an acceptable subject area for satisfying the credit requirement, which was not present in the prior version.

Granted the Department of Education regulatory authority to establish how equivalent credits are calculated for block scheduling or courses shorter than one year, including how equivalent credit is determined.

For special education students precluded from meeting academic requirements due to IEP modifications, changed the determination standard so the school principal determines eligibility based on satisfactory progress in accordance with the student's IEP (the SA 2 version required collaboration with the IEP team).

Set an effective date of August 1, 2026.

Made numerous drafting corrections to conform to the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual, including restructuring subsections, clarifying cross-references, and standardizing language throughout.