CHAPTER 32
FORMERLY
SENATE BILL NO. 173
AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAWS OF DELAWARE AS THEY RELATE TO STUDENTS VOLUNTARILY TRANSFERRING FROM ONE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT TO ANOTHER.
WHEREAS, the May 19, 1976 Court Opinion and the June 15, 1976 Judgment of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware in the case of Evans v. Buchanan, C.A. Nos. 1816 - 1822 require that initial desegregatory assignments among the intermediate and high schools of eleven (11) school districts in New Castle County be made for the September 1977 term of the public schools; and
WHEREAS, while the General Assembly will abide by and comply with all applicable Opinions, Orders, Judgments and Decrees of all Courts of competent jurisdiction on questions involving public education as well as on all other questions, including all applicable Opinions, Judgments, Orders and Decrees entered in the
legal proceeding known as Evans v. Buchanan, nevertheless the General Assembly does not believe that there is any unconstitutional segregation of students of any race in the public schools in the State of Delaware; and
WHEREAS, the General Assembly therefore most respectfully disagrees with the May 19, 1976 Opinion and with the June 15,
1976 Judgment of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware in the case of Evans v. Buchanan; and
WHEREAS, the said Judgment in Evans v. Buchanan is presently on appeal and the General Assembly wholeheartedly supports the appeal which has been taken by the State Board of Education but recognizes that the aforesaid Judgment has the force of law until and unless it is stayed or reversed and the General Assembly recognizes that the Judgment may not be reversed prior to September 1, 1977; and
WHEREAS, although the General Assembly does not believe that any desegregation should be required by Court Order, Judgment or Decree because the General Assembly does not believe there is any unconstitutional segregation of students in the public schools of Delaware as recited above, nevertheless for as long as there shall remain outstanding and not reversed, modified or stayed applicable Court Orders, Judgments and Decrees which direct desegregation of students in or among any of the public schools of the State of Delaware, the General Assembly will in good faith attempt to comply with them; and
WHEREAS, whenever there is reference herein to desegregation, it is to be understood that such reference does not in any way
imply or suggest that the General Assembly concurs or agrees with the rulings and holdings of the Opinions, Orders, Judgments and Decrees of the Courts in Evans v. Buchanan, but rather such reference is only to the requirement of desegregatory actions imposed by the Court in Evans v. Buchanan and as to which the Court gave to the General Assembly certain limited or restricted authority to be exercised within the limits and on the conditions set by the Court in its Opinions and Orders, Judgments and Decrees, and such reference is without prejudice to the views of the General Assembly as set forth above; and
WHEREAS, the General Assembly desires to encourage the desegregation required by the Courts by voluntary means to the greatest extent possible so that students and their parents or guardians or other persons who legally stand in place of their parents, will
have the greatest possible opportunity to make their own individual and informed decisions as to the school districts said students will attend when the students are moved for compliance with a Court Order; and
WHEREAS, the General Assembly believes that the students and citizens of the State of Delaware, as well as the public school system of the State of Delaware, will all be best served if the desegregation required by the aforesaid Court Opinion and Judgment occurs by voluntary means and with no compulsory, mandated or forced transfers of students among the eleven (11) school districts involved, and the General Assembly needs and desires as much information as time permits to determine the extent to which the required desegregation can take place by voluntary means for the September 1977 term; and
WHEREAS, there is already an established statutory pattern for voluntary student transfers, subject to approval by the School Board of the receiving district but not the School Board of the sending district, between the eleven (11) school districts in New Castle County directly affected by the Evans v. Buchanan Opinion and Judgment; and
WHEREAS, the General Assembly is informed that each of the said eleven (11) public school districts will have varying amounts of empty available "seats" or classroom space in various grades for the school year commencing September 1977; and
WHEREAS, the General Assembly is informed that at the present time an application for student transfer may be given preference on racial grounds because the May 19, 1976 Opinion and the June 15, 1976 Judgment in Evans v. Buchanan have placed northern New Castle County in a "remedy" situation, and the General Assembly
is further informed that under the current state of judicial decisions, it is not clear whether, if there were no judicial ruling which put northern New Castle County in a "remedy" situation, an application for student transfer could constitutionally
be given preference by the "receiving" district because of the race of the applicant; and
WHEREAS, the General Assembly believes that voluntary Court-ordered desegregation may be best encouraged (a) if the local School Boards accept all applications for transfers by applicants who are members of the race which is in the majority for the 1976-1977 school year in the public school district in which they reside and which is in the minority for the 1976-1977 school year in the school district to which they apply for transfers, unless that particular school district can document that a "seat" or classroom space will not be available for such applicant in the grade he would be attending for the school year commencing in 1977, and (b) if the local School Boards reject all applications by applicants who are members of the race which is in the minority for the 1976-1977 school year in the public school district in which they reside and which is in the majority for the 19761977 school year in the school district to which they apply.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:
Section 1. (a) The State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall promptly collect and compile informational data describing and explaining the various educational programs offered
in grades 7 through 12, inclusive, in each of the following eleven (11) public school districts located in New Castle County:
1. Alexis I. duPont School District
2. Alfred I. duPont School District
3. Claymont School District
4. Conrad Area School District
5. DeLaWarr School District
6. Marshallton-McKean School District
7. Mount Pleasant School District
8. New Castle-Gunning Bedford School District
9. Newark School District
10. Stanton School District
11. Wilmington Public Schools
and shall, with the cooperation of the School Boards and professional staffs of said districts, prepare a description indicating which programs offered by each of said districts are considered
by such district or by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to be unique, specialized, of particularly high quality, or to have special or peculiar advantages for all or for certain students, and containing such other information as the State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall have determined to be appropriate to give each student a full understanding of the opportunities available in all eleven (11) school districts, and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall have such information prepared in written form for distribution to students in grades 6 through 10, inclusive, in each of said eleven (11) school districts. In preparing the descriptions and explanations the State Superintendent of Public Instruction may set forth guidelines for the preparation of said descriptions and explanations
and permit the School Boards of the eleven (11) districts to prepare as much of the final descriptions and explanation as he deems appropriate.
(b) The State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall promptly determine the best and most accurate estimates as are available of the number of available "seats" or amount of classroom space each of the aforesaid eleven (11) districts is expected to have for each of the grades 7 through 11, inclusive, for the school year commencing September 1977.
(c) The State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall promptly determine and compile data that will indicate the racial mixture of students in each of the grades 6 through 10, inclusive, in each of the schools in each of the eleven (11) said districts for the current school year of 1976-1977.
(d) The State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall promptly determine and compile the numbers of students in each of grades 6 through 10, inclusive, in each of the eleven (11) said districts during the current school year of 1976-1977, and shall also promptly determine and compile the most accurate estimates as are available of the expected number of students in each of the grades 7 through 11, inclusive, in each of the eleven (11) said districts for the school year commencing September 1977.
(e) The State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall promptly compile such other information and data as he believes will be relevant and material for students and their parents or guardians or other persons who stand legally in the place of their parents, or for the various School Boards, in deciding on the advisability of making or accepting applications for student transfers among the eleven (11) said districts for the school year commencing September 1977.
(f) The State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall collect all of the data and information required by this Act by a date which he shall have determined and included on a Calendar of Voluntary Transfer Dates and shall complete the printed compilation and preparation of the information and data which he is to determine, compile and prepare pursuant to this Act by a date which he shall have determined and included on a Calendar of Voluntary Transfer Dates.
(a) The State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall prepare and have a supply of printed forms of application for student
transfer among the eleven (11) said districts for grades 7 through II, inclusive, for the school year commencing September 1977, in such form as he shall determine and in such numbers that there will be a copy available for each student in grades 6 through 10, inclusive, in each of the eleven (11) said districts by a date which he shall have determined and included on a Calendar of Voluntary Transfer Dates. The State Superintendent may prepare the application in a form that will permit an applicant to apply to more than one district by means of a single application and that will require an applicant to state an order of preference among districts.
(h) By a date determined by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and included on a Calendar of Voluntary Transfer Dates, he or such representatives as he designates from his own staff and the staffs of the local school districts shall visit during regularly scheduled school hours with all teachers and all students in each of the grades 6 through 10, inclusive, in each school in each of the eleven (11) said districts. During and for the purpose of these visits the students and teachers shall be assembled into such groups as the State Superintendent of Public Instruction or his representatives deem appropriate, and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction or his representatives shall spend a period of time not less than that determined by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to be adequate with each such group, explaining and describing the voluntary transfer system as authorized by this Act and by 14 Del. C. §5602 and 603, as amended at that time, and shall distribute to each student present a copy of as much of the printed material compiled and prepared by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction pursuant to this Act as the State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall have determined to be appropriate to give each student a full understanding of the opportunities available in all school districts to which he or she is eligible to transfer to among the aforesaid eleven (11) school districts, and also shall distribute a copy of the form of application for student transfer, giving appropriate instructions for the completion and signing of such applications and the timing for and location for filing and submitting such applications, all of which shall have been determined by the State Board of Education.
(i) By a date which he shall have determined and included on a Calendar of Voluntary Transfer Dates, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall distribute by such means as he shall determine to each student's home (1) such printed material as he shall have determined to be appropriate to give each student and parent, guardian or person who legally stands in the place of a parent, a full understanding of the opportunities available in all school districts to which he or she is eligible to transfer among the aforesaid eleven (11) school districts and (2) a copy of the form of application for student transfer, giving appropriate instructions for the completion and signing of such applications and the timing for and location for filing and submitting such applications, all of which shall have been determined by the State Board of Education.
(j) The State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall submit the Calendar of Voluntary Transfer Dates referred to herein to the General Assembly on or before April 29, 1977. The Calendar of Voluntary Transfer Dates shall include an application closing date in May. Notwithstanding the provisions of 14 Del. C. §603, the instructions prepared by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction for completing and filing applications may provide that the applications are to be filed by the date included in the Calendar of Voluntary Transfer Dates as the application closing date.
(k) The State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall compile data indicating, by race, and by school district of residence, the number of voluntary transfer applicants for each school district and the number of applicants accepted by each school district and such other information as he deems appropriate, and shall submit said information to the General Assembly by no later than June 15, 1977.
(1) The State SUperintendent of Public Instruction shall take such actions as he deems appropriate to coordinate the acceptances of voluntary transfer applications in order to minimize unnecessary transportation expense and to eliminate duplication of acceptances.
Section 2. For the purpose of complying with the May 19, 1976 Opinion and June 15, 1976 Judgment in Evans v. Buchanan, and in accordance with the following provisions, the School Boards of the aforesaid eleven (11) school districts are hereby required to accept all applications for transfers for the 1977-1978 school year by applicants who are members of the race which is in the majority of the student population for the 1976-1977 school year in the public school district in which they reside and which is in the minority of the student population for the 1976-1977 school year in the school district to which they apply, unless the school district to which they apply can document that it is not expected to have an available "seat" or available classroom space for such applicant in the grade he would be attending for the school year commencing in 1977:
(a) To be eligible for transfer under this Section 2 a student must, on or before the application closing date determined by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and included on
the Calendar of Voluntary Transfer Dates established in accordance with Section 1 of this Act, have submitted a written application to the school district in which he or she desires to attend school and, simultaneously with submitting said application to such school district, must have submitted a copy thereof to the school board of the school district in which he or she resides.
(b) The school district to which application has been made shall endeavor to notify each applicant of its decision, in writing, on or before June 15 of 1977 and shall simultaneously send a copy of its written notification to the school board of the district in which the student resides or has last attended school.
(c) Subject to the provisions of this Section 2, the receiving district shall receive transfers under the provisions of this section on a first come, first served, space available basis. The capacity of any school building shall be the capacity determined by the State Board of Education.
(d) Approval for transfer is not required by the sending district.
(e) Unless otherwise ordered by a Court of proper jurisdiction or by statutory definition, "majority" shall mean at least 51%.
(f) Racial groups shall be identified in accordance with the standard identifications used for research purposes by Lhe State Board of Education.
(g) The provisions for computing, billing, collecting, and paying of tuition shall be followed as described in Chapter 6, Title 14, Delaware Code, as amended, and tuition shall be paid by the sending district.
(h) Transportation for students transferred under provisions of this section may be provided by rules and regulations of the State Board of Education.
Section 3. Notwithstanding anything in the laws of Delaware to the contrary, the school boards in the aforesaid eleven (11) school districts shall not accept the voluntary transfer applications filed on or before May 31, 1977 by applicants who are members of the race which is in the minority of the student population for the 1976-1977 school year in the public school district in which they reside and which is in the majority of the student population for the 1976-1977 school year in the school district to which they apply.
Section 4. Amend Section 603 (c), Chapter 6, Title 14, Delaware Code, as heretofore amended, by striking the words "August 1 of 1976 or July 1 of any subsequent calendar year" as they appear in said subsection and by substituting in lieu thereof the following words:
"May 31 of 1977 or May 1 of any subsequent calendar year".
Section 5. Amend Section 603 (c), Chapter 6, Title 14, Delaware Code, as heretofore amended, by striking the words "on or before August 20 of 1976, in the case of an application made on or before August 1, 1976, and on or before August 1 of the same calendar year in which the application is made, in the case of any calendar year subsequent to 1976" as they appear in said subsection and by substituting in lieu thereof the following words:
"on or before June 13 of 1977, in the case of an application made on or before May 31 of 1977, or on or before June 1 of the same calendar year in which the application is made, in the case of any calendar year subsequent to 1977".
Section 6. Amend Delaware Code, Title 14, Chapter 6, Section 603, by adding to that Section a new subsection (f) as follows:
"(f) When a student has transferred to a new district pursuant to the voluntary transfer provisions, the sending district shall immediately upon request of the receiving district transfer the student's records to the receiving district."