Universal free breakfast, teacher evaluation pilot program signed into law

Under a new law signed Sept. 2, all students in Delaware will be able to receive free breakfast starting in the 2026-27 school year.

Gov. Matt Meyer also signed bills into law regarding school boards and teachers.

“By expanding free meals, strengthening standards for school boards and educators, and making sure our schools are places where all students can thrive, these bills take meaningful steps toward a stronger and fairer education system for every Delaware family,” Meyer said in a statement.

Free breakfast will be provided to every student regardless of income; however, in the Cape Henlopen School District, free breakfast and lunch became available to all students at the beginning of the school year Sept. 3, through a national program known as Community Eligibility Provision.

For teachers this year, student absences and mobility will be factored into a teacher’s evaluation under a new pilot program. 

"Educators and students thrive when formative and summative assessments are meaningful to them. That’s why I sponsored Senate Bill 165 with Rep. [Kim] Williams,” said Sen. Laura Sturgeon, prime sponsor of Senate Bill 165. “Teachers are trained in curriculum and assessment, they know their students' strengths and challenges, and they rejoice in seeing their students grow intellectually, so it only makes sense that teachers should have a say in what performance measures are used to assess their own students' improvement over the course of the time that they have them in class.”

Other new educator-related laws include creation of an Interstate Compact for School Psychologists, allowing qualified out-of-state school psychologists to work in Delaware schools; a permit or license requirement for any school employee working directly with students – either issued by the state’s Professional Standards Board or under Title 24; and removal of a previous deadline that limited which educators or specialists could receive additional years of experience credit when calculating their pay. Now, officials said, all qualifying staff can get that credit, regardless of hire date.

Laws setting new rules for school boards include House Bill 83, sponsored by upstate legislators Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton and Sturgeon, allowing school board members to attend and vote in meetings remotely for specific reasons, such as illness, a public health emergency, pregnancy/postpartum care or military service.

"The measures signed into law today are commonsense steps we can take to make sure our school board members are engaged, present, and connected to the communities they serve,” Wilson-Anton said in a press release. “These changes have been a long time in the making, and I hope that they provide residents greater peace of mind that their voices are being heard and their concerns are being addressed."

Other new laws for school boards include requiring background checks for school board members, mandatory training on Delaware’s Freedom of Information Act, meeting rules, and ethics, and for school board meetings to be offered by video or phone to increase public participation.

For schools that receive federal funding, officials said, a new law protects students, faculty and staff from sex-based discrimination and harassment.