K-12 mental health care honored, while legislative focus stays on schools: Education roundup

Kelly Powers, USA TODAY NETWORK
Updated ·3 min read

Honors are coming to Delaware professionals helping students navigate mental health challenges, while lawmakers continue a focus on school safety and mental wellness in the General Assembly.

In this roundup we'll look to catch you up on some Delaware education news you may have missed.

Did we miss another good story? Tell me about it: kepowers@gannett.com.

K-12 behavioral health professionals to be honored in Delaware

The state will name its 2023 Delaware Behavioral Health Professional of the Year on Thursday, June 8.

Delaware’s 19 districts and the Delaware Charter School Network already named their local honorees, but following an application and interview process, as the Department of Education explained, one professional will take the statewide recognition.

“Behavioral health professionals are critical to the success of our schools and communities,” said Secretary of Education Mark Holodick in a statement last week.

“They often are working with our children and families when they are the most vulnerable. They help them navigate struggles and find the resources and supports they need to be healthy and successful in school and life.

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Each honoree receives a $2,000 award from the professional’s district or charter school, recognized for outstanding service "for the purpose of improving an individual’s mental health."

State honorees receive an additional $3,000 award from the department, alongside $5,000 more for "the educational benefit of the state honoree’s students," per DDOE.

Honorees across Delaware were:

  • Appoquinimink School District: Carlton Adams

  • Brandywine School District: Heather Richards

  • Caesar Rodney School District: Emily White

  • Cape Henlopen School District: Tara Gambale

  • Capital School District: Jennifer Marciarello Benson

  • Christina School District: Trudy Small

  • Colonial School District: Courtney Waters

  • Delaware Charter School Network: Cynthia Hovan

  • Delmar School District: Nicole LaPearl

  • Indian River School District: Jessi Ford

  • Lake Forest School District: Dana Carey

  • Laurel School District: Sharon Dolby

  • Milford School District: Ally Zanks

  • New Castle County Vo-Tech School District: Mark W. Wells

  • POLYTECH School District: Ivy Truitt

  • Red Clay Consolidated School District: Lauren Lee

Who can be up for an award like this? School counselors, social workers, licensed clinical social workers, psychologists and school nurses were up for consideration.

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New bill would see 'school resource officers' in every Delaware school

Welcome packages and lesson plan kits sit on desks of kindergarten teacher Yuronda Adams' classroom Wednesday, September 2, 2020, at Lake Forest East Elementary. Adams plans to have only three in-person students while the rest will attend class virtually.
Welcome packages and lesson plan kits sit on desks of kindergarten teacher Yuronda Adams' classroom Wednesday, September 2, 2020, at Lake Forest East Elementary. Adams plans to have only three in-person students while the rest will attend class virtually.

A proposed bill seeks to authorize a 70-30 state-local split for funding the hiring of school resource officers in every public and charter school.

Sponsored by Rep. Bryan Shupe, R-Milford, the legislation would cover these schools with an estimated price tag of $21.1 million for the state and $7.2 million for districts and charter schools in fiscal year 2024.

Currently, local districts pay for school resource officers, if they have them. This bill would fund at least one in each school of a district, regardless of enrollment, while also providing additional school resource officers for schools with over 1,000 students.

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Delaware authorized the hiring of school constables and more through the expansion of its School Safety and Security Fund last year. Last week, this proposed legislation was assigned to Education Committee in the state House of Representatives.

The Department of Education, during its budget hearing this year, called for $30 million in funding for mental health services. Education Secretary Holodick said the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has made some students’ behavior “extreme and difficult” for teachers to manage.

Kelly Powers covers race, culture and equity for the USA TODAY Network's Northeast Region and Delaware Online, with a focus on education. Contact her at kepowers@gannett.com or (231) 622-2191, and follow her on Twitter @kpowers01.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: K-12 mental health providers honored, while new bills focus on schools