Delaware Administrative Code
Title 14 - Education
600 - School Climate and Discipline
616 - Uniform Due Process Procedures for Alternative Placement Meetings and Expulsion Hearings
Section 616-2.0 - Terms and Definitions
In this regulation, the following terms and words shall have the following meaning unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Administration" means administrative staff from a district, school, or charter school.
"Alternative Placement" means the removal of a student from his/her school on a temporary basis for a period of time as determined by the Alternative Placement Team and assignment to an Alternative Program.
"Alternative Placement Packet" means the documents submitted to the Alternative Placement Team including, but not limited to and as applicable, a student's academic information, behavioral information including reason for referral to Alternative Placement, attendance information, Individualized Education Plan (IEP), 504 plan, and immunization records.
"Alternative Placement Team (APT)" means a committee composed of the following: a representative of the Alternative Program staff; a district level coordinator who will be designated by the superintendent; the building level principal, assistant principal or other person as appropriate; the student's Parent; guidance counselor or school social worker; and, if appropriate, a representative from the Department of Services for Children Youth and Their Families (DSCYF) with knowledge of the student's and family's needs. Other individuals may be invited as determined by the APT. The APT reviews and prescribes the appropriate placement for students being considered for Alternative Placement.
"Alternative Placement Team Meeting" means a meeting held by the district/charter school Alternative Placement Team to determine the appropriate educational setting for a student whose behavior is within the defined conduct under 14 DE Admin. Code 614 and who has been recommended for Assignment to an Alternative Program.
"Alternative Program" means a school discipline improvement program that provides Appropriate Educational Services that has been created for students whose behavior(s) is within the defined conduct under 14 DE Admin. Code 614. This includes any programs managed by a school district/charter or the Consortium Discipline Alternative Program.
"Appropriate Educational Services" means instruction and assessment provided by the district/charter and includes access to instructional materials, graded homework and communication with educators so as to enable the student to continue to participate in the general education curriculum, although in another setting, and to progress toward meeting a level of proficiency in that curriculum.
"Assignment to an Alternative Program" means student Assignment to an Alternative Program, including Consortium Discipline Alternative Program and any Alternative Program maintained by a district/charter school, until the student has fulfilled the requirements to return to the Regular School Program.
"Attorney General's Report (Juvenile Arrest Warrant and Complaint)" means the Department of Justice's report of alleged out-of-school criminal conduct, regardless of jurisdiction, which shows disregard for the health, safety and welfare of others, including, but not limited to acts of violence, weapons offenses, and drug offenses.
"Board of Education" means the Board of Education of a reorganized school district or the Board of Directors of a charter school.
"Building Level Conference" means a meeting which is held by phone or in person between the Principal, other appropriate school staff members as determined by the Principal, a student and a student's Parent to discuss the student's misconduct relative to a recommendation for Suspension, Alternative Placement, or Expulsion.
"Consortium Discipline Alternative Program" means a school discipline improvement program which serves an organized consortium of school districts and/or charter schools as provided for in 14 Del.C. Ch. 16.
"Disciplinary Action" means the student identified for Short or Long-Term Suspension, Expulsion, or Alternative Placement who may be excluded from all school activities, including but not limited to, extracurricular sports/programs, field trips, and ceremonies; is not allowed on School Property unless placed in an Alternative Placement on School Property.
"Discipline Record" means all information about Disciplinary Action taken against a specific student as a result of any infraction of the school's/district's Student Code of Conduct or other rules.
"Expulsion" means Disciplinary Action approved by the Board of Education resulting in a student being removed from the Regular School Program for a duration not to exceed the total number of student days in a school year. A student expelled without Appropriate Educational Services shall be unenrolled from the district/charter during the term of the expulsion. Regardless of whether without or with services, including Alternative Placement, the expelled student is not eligible to enroll in any other Delaware public school during the period of the Expulsion and until any reasonable terms of the Expulsion are fulfilled.
"Grievance" means a formal complaint, filed per specific district/charter procedures, to school Administration regarding a student's rights or liberty interests having been denied or impaired. At a minimum, the procedures shall be similar to the Grievance Guidelines applicable to this regulation, as posted on the Department of Education website.
"Hearing Officer" means an official appointed by the district/charter to conduct a formal due process hearing for a student recommended for Disciplinary Action which requires a formal due process hearing. The Hearing Officer may be an employee of the district or charter school, but shall not have been involved in any review of the student incident at the building or district level.
" In-School Alternative Program" means a School-Based Intervention Program (SBI) as described in 14 DE Admin. Code 609. Placement is determined by the school's Student Intervention Team as described in 14 DE Admin. Code 609. The program design includes the student's regular curriculum, as well as character education, social skills development, conflict resolution, access to counseling services and behavior modification strategies.
"Intake Form" means the checklist used during the student Intake Meeting which ensures the inclusion of behavioral, academic, and other necessary information to facilitate the placement of a student at a Consortium Discipline Alternative Program.
"Intake Meeting" means the meeting at an Alternative Program site which includes the student, the Parent, district/charter school representative, program administrator and other appropriate Alternative Program staff. At this meeting the program's rules and expectations are reviewed, paperwork that requires student and Parent signatures is completed, and the district's/charter school's individualized goals and expectations for the alternatively-placed student are reviewed.
"Outside Agency" means any agency from which a student has received services, but does not include an Alternative Program. Examples include, but are not limited to: judicial placement, youth detention facility, substance abuse facility, and mental health facility.
"Parent" means a biological or adoptive parent of a child; a guardian generally authorized to act as the child's parent, or authorized to make educational decisions for the child (but not the State if the child is a ward of the State); an individual acting in the place of a biological or adoptive parent (including a grandparent, stepparent, or other relative) with whom the child lives and for whom a Relative Caregiver's School Authorization executed in compliance with 14 Del.C. § 202 (f)(1) is on file; an individual or entity who is otherwise legally responsible for the child's welfare; a surrogate parent who has been appointed in accordance with 14 DE Admin. Code 926.19; or a student who has reached the age of majority as defined in 1 Del.C. § 701.
"Principal" means the building principal, or the equivalent of the building principal, of any district or charter school, or the principal's designee.
"Regular School Program" means student enrollment in a public school, not including specially assigned non-special education or student behavioral intervention programs within or outside the enrolled school, in which the student's classroom or course placement is based primarily on age, grade level and cognitive abilities as assigned by the school Administration or an IEP team and the student's participation in daily course instruction and activities within the assigned classroom or course.
"Repeated Violations of Student Code of Conduct" means five or more violations of the school's Student Code of Conduct within a school year, excluding chronic infractions for tardiness or unexcused absences to school/class.
"School Discipline Committee" means a school-level committee consisting of appropriate school personnel, similar to those identified in 14 Del.C. Ch. 16, which meets to decide on student Disciplinary Action recommendations made by the Principal.
"School Environment" means within or on School Property, and at school sponsored or supervised activities, including, for example, on school grounds, on school buses, at functions held on school grounds, at school sponsored extracurricular activities held on and off school grounds, on field trips and at functions held at the school in the evening.
"School Property" means any building, structure, athletic field, sports stadium or real property that is owned, operated, leased or rented by any public school district or charter school including, but not limited to, any kindergarten, elementary, secondary, or vocational-technical school or charter school, or any motor vehicle owned, operated, leased, rented or subcontracted by any public school or charter school.
"Student Code of Conduct" means the district/charter school approved document which specifies the rights and responsibilities of students, defines conduct that disrupts/threatens a positive/safe School Environment, standardizes procedures for consequences and Disciplinary Action, and defines due process and Grievance procedures.
"Student Review" means a formal meeting that takes place at the Alternative Program with the district/charter school representative, the Alternative Program Administrator, and other appropriate Alternative Program staff to determine to what degree the student currently placed in the Alternative Program is progressing toward their behavioral and academic goals as determined during the student's Intake Meeting. The student and Parent shall be invited to attend this meeting.
"Superintendent" means the chief school officer of any public school district or charter school, or the equivalent of a superintendent, or the superintendent's designee.
"Suspension, Long-term (Long-term Suspension)" means Disciplinary Action approved by the Superintendent upon recommendation of the Principal or District Alternative Placement Team resulting in the student being removed from the Regular School Program for eleven (11) consecutive school days or more and not to exceed the total number of school days in a school year. Student chooses to waive his right to a formalized due process hearing as outlined in Section 10.0 of this regulation, maintains enrollment in the district/charter, and is provided Appropriate Educational Services during the term of the suspension, but is excluded from all school activities including, but not limited to, extracurricular sports/programs, field trips, and ceremonies. Student is not allowed on School Property when suspension is out-of-school. A Long-term Suspension requires initial due process procedures as outlined in Section 4.0 of this regulation and the student choosing to waive his right to a formalized due process hearing as outlined in Section 10.0 of this regulation.
"Suspension, Short-term (Short-term Suspension)" means Disciplinary Action approved by the Principal or School Discipline Committee resulting in the student being removed from his Regular School Program for at least one (1) school day and not more than ten (10) consecutive school days. Student maintains enrollment in district/charter, but is excluded from all school activities including, but not limited to extracurricular sports/programs, field trips, and ceremonies. Student is not allowed on School Property when Short-term Suspension is out-of-school. A Short-term Suspension requires initial due process procedures as outlined in subsection 5.1 of this regulation.
"Transition Meeting" means a meeting to discuss the student's return to the Regular School Program which takes place at the school in which the student is enrolled, with the Alternative Program representative, the district/charter school representative, the student, the Parent, a school administrator, a teacher, a school counselor, a student advisor or disciplinarian if assigned, or other representative.
"Violent Felony" means a crime designated in 11 Del.C. § 4201 (c).
