Sen. Nicole Poore

This Act requires high needs elementary schools, including high needs elementary charter schools, to have school-based health centers. The State will pay the start-up costs for each school-based health center at 2 high needs elementary schools per year until each high needs elementary school has a center. High needs elementary schools are defined as any elementary school in the top quartile of 3 or more in percentage of low-income students, percentage of English learners, percentage of students with disabilities, percentage of minority students, or having 90% of its students classified as low-income, English learners, or minority. This Act also allows high needs elementary schools having pre-existing school-based health centers to apply for reimbursement of previously expended funds necessary to establish said health center. To the extent that there are any public high schools without a school-based health center upon the effective date of this Act, the State will fund start-up costs for a center at such a public high school.

This Concurrent Resolution recognizes September 2021 as "Prostate Cancer Awareness Month" in the State of Delaware

A 2019 study found the following: (1) Black women are 80% more likely to change their natural hair to meet social norms or expectations at work. (2) Black women are 50% more likely to be sent home or know of another Black woman sent home from work because of her hair. (3) Black women are 30% more likely to be made aware of a formal workplace appearance policy. Delaware law prohibits discrimination on the basis of race in a variety of settings. This Act makes clear that race also includes traits historically associated with race, including hair texture and a protective hairstyle, which includes braids, locks, and twists. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This bill requires all public and charter schools which have students in grades 6-12 to provide free feminine hygiene products in 50% of the bathrooms used by students who can have a menstrual cycle. This bill also requires schools to publish on its website and post in its common areas the locations of the bathrooms where the hygiene products are provided. Finally, this bill provides that each school must consult with its school nurse regarding the products to be provided.

This resolution recognizes April 10 through 16, 2021 as "Week of the Young Child" in Delaware.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution recognizes April 18, 2021 as "National Lineman Appreciation Day" in the State of Delaware.

This Resolution recognizes the week of April 11-17, 2021 as "Black Maternal Health Awareness Week" in Delaware.

This Act limits the use of certain Class B firefighting foams (“Class B foams”) in Delaware. Class B foams are used to put out fires caused by flammable liquids like gasoline, oil, and jet fuel, and can be divided into 2 categories: those with PFAS chemicals and those without. PFAS chemicals include a range of chemistries with differing properties, which have been widely-used for decades in products other than Class B foams, like food packaging, carpets, and other household items, and in firefighting foam. The use of firefighting foams containing PFAS chemicals, however, is an emerging public health challenge to avoid future contamination and reduce exposure to firefighters and Delawareans. Firefighting foam containing PFAS chemicals can get into water wells and drinking water supplies and expose firefighters and others to the chemicals. More studies into the effects of PFAS chemicals are emerging; some of the health effects of exposure to certain PFAS chemicals include pregnancy complications, liver damage, and high cholesterol. The PFAS chemicals in firefighting foams must be weighed against their particularly-effective nature in fighting liquid fires when mixed with water. To that end, this Act prohibits the use of Class B foams containing intentionally-added PFAS chemicals unless the use is for fire prevention or emergency firefighting. Further, this Act permits the use of such foam for training and testing only if the facility in which the training or testing occurs has implemented containment, treatment, and disposal measures to prevent releases of Class B foams containing PFAS chemicals. This Act also makes technical changes to Part IV of Title 16, to reflect its current structure more accurately.

This Concurrent Resolution recognizes March 2021 as Rare Kidney Disease Month in Delaware.

Current Delaware regulations provide that transportation benefits must be provided for students in grades K through 6 who live 1 or more miles from the schools to which district administrators would normally assign them. In grades 7 through 12, the same students are entitled to transportation benefits if they live 2 or more miles from their assigned public schools. See 14 Del. Admin. C. § 1150-12.1. This Act expands transportation benefits to students in grades 7 and 8 who live 1 or more miles from the public schools to which district administrators would normally assign them. This Act takes effect upon enactment and allows immediate implementation while also providing schools until September 1, 2023, to implement. In addition, this Act does the following: - Amends the section header for § 2905, Title 14 to more accurately reflect the section’s subject matter. - Clarifies the Department of Education’s authority to promulgate rules and regulations regarding the transportation of students who are in public elementary and secondary schools. Section 2905 already expressly grants promulgation authority to the Department regarding nonpublic, nonprofit schools. - Clarifies that the new provision of transportation benefits for students in grades K through 8 applies only to students who attend the public school in which their enrollment is based on the residences of their parents; it does not apply to students who attend charter schools or, by choice, schools in different districts. - Makes several technical changes to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual, including changes to consistently refer to “students” instead of using both “students” and “pupils” within the same section.