School superintendents, administrators oppose proposed attendance law

A proposed law that would increase the compulsory age for school attendance is facing opposition from Delaware school superintendents and administrators.

Currently, a person who is 16 years old or older is not legally required to be enrolled in school. Under HB 170, filed May 28 by sponsor Rep. Debra Heffernan, D-Brandywine Hundred South, the age for required attendance would be raised from 16 to 18 over a two-year period.

Heffernan, a former Brandywine School Board president, said a high school diploma is no longer optional.

“It really is the minimum education for young people today who want economic success and independence,” said Heffernan. “As we continue working to improve our educational system, we need to have students staying to complete their coursework and acquiring skills they need to be successful.”

Cape Superintendent Bob Fulton said Delaware Chief School Officers Association and Delaware Association of School Administrators oppose the legislation.

“We do agree that all students should remain in school and graduate high school, and we currently work with and counsel students and families who are considering the decision to leave high school prior to graduating,” he said.  

Fulton said the associations only oppose the legislation because of unanswered questions about how the bill’s alternative learning plans would be developed, monitored and funded.

“Possible options for the plan include private instruction and online courses, which in most cases would involve staff oversight and funds to support the individualized plan,” Fulton said.

HB 170 states that alternative learning plans would incorporate the child’s interests and learning style, and include independent study, private instruction, performing groups, internships, community service, apprenticeships and online courses.

The plan must be developed with the child, school principal and at least one parent or guardian of the child, and the school superintendent or charter school board president must approve the alternative learning plan.

The bill does not state parameters of the plan, or how it would be measured or paid for.

The law would be phased in over two years, with a one-year period in which required school attendance age would be 17 years beginning Sept. 1, 2022, and increasing to 18 years the following September.

The proposal also allows a parent or guardian, with written support from a health professsional, to request a child be excused from required attendance. Children who graduate from high school before they turn 18 are exempt.

Delaware House Democratic Caucus Communications Director Drew Volturo said the General Assembly returns June 4, but there was no way to predict the timetable for a vote.

“This is the first year of a two-year session, so if the bill does not clear the entire process before the General Assembly recesses on July 1, it can still continue when we return in January 2020,” he said.