The Department of Education shall establish a program component which will provide alternative educational and related services for the more severe discipline problems in the public schools. This component will serve primarily secondary school students, including but not limited to: youngsters who have been expelled from regular schools, students who may be subject to expulsion, and others who have serious violations of the local school district discipline code. The Department of Education shall provide rules and regulations for the conduct of programs authorized under this section subject to the following limitations:

(1) School districts shall make application to the Department of Education for funding to implement programs authorized under this section. Preference shall be given to applications from consortia of school districts. To the extent feasible, programs offered under this component should serve eligible pupils within a county, however, multiple sites may be operated by a single consortia of school districts within a county.

(2) Any application submitted under this section shall specify the types and level of services to be provided and an estimate of the number of youngsters to be served. The application shall also include a budget of proposed expenditures during a fiscal year. That budget shall indicate, at a minimum, the funds being requested from appropriations authorized under this section and funds to be obtained from all other sources.

(3) All applications submitted to the Department of Education under this section shall indicate an agreement to fund at least 30 percent of the total cost of services provided from sources of funding other than those authorized under this section.

(4) All projects funded under this section shall submit an annual evaluation report on the effectiveness of the program to the Department of Education. Such report shall incorporate the data and information specified by the Department.

(5) School districts shall be permitted to use funds collected in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 6 of this title to make tuition payments for youngsters assigned to programs authorized under this section.

(6) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a consortia of school districts from contracting for educational or related services with public or private agencies when operating programs authorized under this section.

(7) The provisions of § 4130 of this title shall not apply to youngsters enrolled in programs authorized under this section.

(8) A student 16 years of age or less who is expelled or suspended pending expulsion by a local school district or charter school shall be presumed appropriate for placement in a Consortium Discipline Alternative Program site, provided the student is not otherwise ineligible by statute or regulation for placement in such a program. The burden of establishing that a student is not appropriate for placement in a Consortium Discipline Alternative Program shall be on the local school district or charter school. Any student not shown by preponderance of evidence to be inappropriate for placement in a Consortium Discipline Alternative Program shall be placed in such a program.

69 Del. Laws, c. 464, § ?1; 71 Del. Laws, c. 180, § ?91; 76 Del. Laws, c. 407, § ?1;