HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

152nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE SUBSTITUTE NO. 1

FOR

HOUSE BILL NO. 244

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO FUNDING FOR ATHLETIC TRAINERS.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:

Section 1. Amend Chapter 17, Title 14 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 1727. Unit for athletic trainer and funding.

(a) A “unit for athletic trainer” is defined as 1 unit for each school that serves students in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12.

(b) (1) A unit for athletic trainer shall be used to employ personnel to be paid for 10 months per year from state funds pursuant to this section at the rate of 1 per school serving students in grades 9 through 12. To the extent these funds are insufficient to provide for 1 athletic trainer per school serving grades 9, 10, 11, and 12, each reorganized school district may meet this requirement out of funding provided under § 1707 or § 1716 of the title, or out of discretionary local current operating expense funds.

(2) The funds appropriated to each reorganized school district or charter school for salaries shall be determined in accordance with the salary schedule set forth in § 1305 of this title.

(c) (1) Instead of a salaried employee, a school or reorganized school district may choose to provide all or part of the services of an athletic trainer through a contract with a public or private agency. The contract must provide for 37.5 hours of services per school per week.

(2) A school or district must submit an application to the Department of Education should it wish to exercise the contractual option. The State Board of Education may review any objection to the Department’s decision.

(d) Athletic trainer unit funding means:

(1) In fiscal year 2025, 1 unit for 9 schools or charter schools serving grades 9, 10, 11, and 12, for employment of a full-time athletic trainer.

(2) In fiscal year 2026, 1 unit for 18 schools or charter schools serving grades 9, 10,11, and 12, for employment of a full-time athletic trainer.

(3) In fiscal year 2027, 1 unit for all schools or charter schools serving grades 9, 10,11, and 12, for employment of a full-time athletic trainer.

(4) In fiscal years 2025 and 2026, the schools to receive funding shall be selected by the Department of Education and shall be proportionally distributed to all 3 counties.

SYNOPSIS

This Act directs phased in unit funding for every public high school in the state to have a full-time athletic trainer.