UD's twilight ceremony lit up the heart of Newark Monday night.

UD’s 4,000 freshmen light up night with twilight tradition 

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

The central green of the University of Delaware looked like a field of fireflies Monday night as the incoming class joined the Blue Hen flock during the annual Twilight Induction Ceremony. “This is officially our new beginning,” said Jacob Hudson, who’s pursuing a degree in computer science. “The past few days have all been about meeting people and becoming familiar …

Delaware students are heading back to school.

Back to school: teacher raises, mental health help, funding

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

As First State public schools reopen next week, most students won’t see much difference in the day-to-day workings of the classroom. But there’s a lot going on in the background. Many districts will be adopting new science and math curriculums designed to help counter the state’s dismal test scores – and continue the battle against COVID-19 learning loss. More mental …

Indian River placed multiple staff members on administrative leave in May.

Indian River admin breaks silence after secretive suspension

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

The suspension of Sussex Central High School’s principal was politically motivated and followed after a fight at the school during which a student’s breast was exposed, his lawyer says. Bradley Layfield appears to have been suspended because he showed a video of the fight to multiple teachers, school officials and state police officers that day.  All of those viewings were …

The 11 winners had experience in agriculture and farming.

11 First Staters win scholarships for farm activities

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

The Delaware Farm Bureau has awarded 11 recent First State high school graduates with scholarships ranging from $500 to $3,500. Money was given to students for their achievements and involvement in a wide array of agricultural activities.  The funds for the scholarships were raised throughout the year. The Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee raises funds through its annual strawberry festival …

The new program will help military spouses find employment.

New program helps on-the-move military spouses find jobs

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Government

Military spouses in the First State have a new service to help them land jobs. The Military Spouse Transition Network’s new career program is a partnership between Delaware and the National Association of State Personnel Executives (NASPE), an organization dedicated to improving the communication and exchange of information among state government personnel executives nationwide. The program is designed to help …

Job Gillette, a 25-year-old from Millsboro, was in possession of 17 Molotov cocktails.

Millsboro man with 17 Molotov cocktails gets 7-year sentence

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Police & Fire

A Molotov cocktail – no, not a fruity adult beverage, but a hand-thrown destructive weapon – has landed a Millsboro man in federal prison for more than seven years.  Job Gillette, a 25-year-old, will serve 87 months for possessing 17 Molotov cocktails, additional raw materials, an AK-47 semi-automatic rifle, ammunition and a ballistic vest. The weapons were discovered after Gillette …

The committee will recommend a pay increase for bus drivers, and for the state to fund IT jobs.

Compensation committee: Raise bus driver pay to $25 an hour

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

A committee created to raise wages for Delaware’s educators recommended Monday that bus drivers be paid $25 an hour. The 15-person Public Education Compensation Committee voted to increase the hourly rate of bus drivers from $22.50. The Delaware School Bus Contractors Association has been calling for that hike since February. RELATED: School bus contractors call for higher pay, expanded benefits …

Some Delaware schools are in the single digits of proficiency rates in the state-administered tests.

17 Del. schools show less than 10% proficiency on state tests

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Seventeen Delaware schools had single-digit proficiency rates in math, reading or the SAT on  state-administered tests. More than 200 public schools take part in the Smarter Balanced test, which measures the knowledge of students in grades three through eight in math and reading, and the SAT for all juniors in high school. Ten of those grammar and middle schools had …

Media literacy standards

Media literacy standards discussed in State Board

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Delaware’s State Board of Education is in the process of drafting standards that align with a new state law requiring schools to teach media literacy.  At its monthly meeting Thursday night, Alyssa Moore, education associate for digital learning at the Department of Education, presented proposed standards to the board. The legislation, known as the “Digital Citizenship Education Act,” requires the …

Mlford last changed their dress code policy in 2021

Milford parents petition to loosen dress code

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

A group of nearly 200 people want to ban uniforms in the Milford School District, saying they are an unnecessary and burdensome expense. There’s one catch: The system doesn’t have uniforms. It does, however, have a dress code that specifically describes what children are and are not allowed to wear. “Now is the time to band together and sign the …