Delaware Code Title 14 Sec. 804 – Shared decision-making at the school level
(a) Any school in a school district which has adopted a district transition plan as specified in § 803(d) of this title shall establish a school-level shared decision-making advisory committee (“School Advisory Committee”). Such school may also submit a written request to the Department of Education, via its local board of education, in order to receive funds to conduct structured conversations and activities among the school community to decide whether or not to apply to the Department of Education for a school-level shared decision-making transition grant as specified in § 807(d) of this title and as provided for in the annual appropriations act.
Terms Used In Delaware Code Title 14 Sec. 804
- School community: shall mean a community comprised of the stakeholders responsible for providing and structuring a child's education; specifically, the board of education at the district level, certified and noncertified school employees, parents, community members and, as appropriate, students. See Delaware Code Title 14 Sec. 801
- Shared decision-making: shall mean an inclusive, representative decision-making process in which members of the school community at the school and district levels participate as equals. See Delaware Code Title 14 Sec. 801
- Structured conversations and activities: shall mean ongoing opportunities for representatives of the entire school community, as defined herein, to collectively and collaboratively explore and become knowledgeable about the processes, systems and governance structures commonly associated with shared decision-making; to identify the skills, knowledge and attitudes which promote successful shared decision-making; to review the research related to the successes and shortcomings of shared decision-making in educational settings; and to determine the readiness and commitment of the various groups within the school community to proceed with shared decision-making as a means to achieve the goal of improved teaching and student learning and improved school safety and discipline. See Delaware Code Title 14 Sec. 801
(b) The principal shall facilitate the selection of representatives on the School Advisory Committee through an inclusive process as established in the District Transition Plan that has the goal of ensuring a fair selection process for the representatives of constituencies within the school community such as parents, community members, teachers, administrators, other employees and students (where appropriate) which reflects the diversity within the school community. Such process shall ensure that the members of the various constituencies select their respective representatives.
(c) The structured conversations and activities, as defined in this title, shall result in a decision, accompanied by an explanatory report and recommendation, by the School Advisory Committee, through a process it developed to produce as much agreement as practicable, that:
(1) They wish to pursue share decision-making further by developing a school transition plan to implement shared decision-making for educational improvement in the school; or
(2) They choose not to explore shared decision-making further.
(d) If the School Advisory Committee decides to proceed with shared decision-making, the structured conversations and activities shall result in the development of a process to establish a school transition plan, to determine the composition of the “School Transition Team” and to develop the roles and responsibilities delegated to the School Transition Team. The School Transition Team representatives shall be selected through the same process established by subsection (b) of this section for their respective constituency groups. The decision as to these issues shall be reflected in the Report and Recommendation pursuant to subsection (c) of this section or in a supplemental Report and Recommendation, signed in accordance with subsection (e) of this section.
(e) Each representative of a stakeholder group who participates in the structured conversation and activities of the School Advisory Committee pursuant to subsection (b) of this section shall sign the Report and Recommendation pursuant to subsection (c) of this section and any supplemental Report and Recommendation pursuant to subsection (d) of this section. Each such representative shall also indicate that the representative has made a good faith effort to communicate with the representative’s stakeholder group so as to ensure that the views of the membership of the representative’s stakeholder group were reflected in the Report and Recommendation.
(f) The Department of Education and the relevant local district administration shall provide schools with assistance, guidance and strategies to initiate and plan the implementation of these structured conversations and activities.
70 Del. Laws, c. 457, § ?1; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § ?1; 71 Del. Laws, c. 180, §§ ?38, 41;