Legislation that will keep students in school until age 18 is expected to be introduced this week.
Sponsored by Rep. Debra Heffernan, D-north Wilmington House Bill 170 would raise the age requirement for compulsory school attendance in Delaware from 16 to 18 over a two-year period. No Republicans were listed as co-sponsors.
The National Center for Educational Statistics notes that in 2016 the median earnings of young adults (ages 25-34) with a high school diploma ($31,800) was 26 percent higher than the median earnings of those without a high school diploma ($25,400).
In 2012, President Barack Obama called for the dropout age to be raised to 18, with a number of states opting to do so. Evidence is mixed on the effect of the higher school age, according to American Prospect, a progressive magazine. An effort to roll back the age in South Dakota failed earlier this year.
As of now, a Delaware student who is 16 years old or older is not legally required to be enrolled in school. The draft legislation is similar to previous attempts during the last two general assemblies.
HB 170 incorporates the option for alternative routes to completing high school for youth age 16 and older.
“Ensuring that students continue their education is critical for their personal economic futures,” said Rep. Heffernan, a former Brandywine School Board president. “This bill not only will provide the requirement that students get that education in school, but allow flexibility for them to seek alternative plans to complete their coursework.”
The measure would be phased in over two years, with a one-year interim period in which the required school attendance age would be 17 years beginning September 1, 2022, and increasing to 18 years the following September. The bill also would increase the age for truancy to coincide with the school attendance age changes.
The proposal also preserves an exemption allowing a child to be excused from required attendance at the request of the child’s parent or legal guardian with written support from a qualified health professional. It also allows an exemption for children who graduate from high school before they turn 18.
HB 170 was drafted with input from the state Department of Education.
