The Delaware Department of Education has contracted with a private firm to test the drinking water at schools across the state.

 

The State of Delaware is actively working with federal and local partners to ensure all Delaware children and school staff have safe and clean drinking water. With the support of a grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), DOE with support from the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) began a sampling initiative in Delaware schools in October 2020 to identify the levels of lead within the drinking water system.

 

The state identified some mistakes in its initial lead sampling, including testing buildings during COVID-19 closures and testing non-consumption sources, and the need to better communicate testing results.

 

Batta Environmental Associates, Inc., a Newark-based environmental consultant, will retest all fixtures that initially tested at 7.5 ppb or higher and all consumption points at schools statewide.

 

“It is critically important that we conduct additional water sampling that provides timely and accurate data regarding the quality of water that our students, staff, and school communities consume.  This is also an important step to help restore confidence for the public. We want our children, their families and our educators and staff to be able to concentrate on learning, assured that their buildings and water are safe,” Secretary of Education Mark Holodick said.

 

Resampling and retesting will start next week and will take about three months to complete. Results will be shared with the respective superintendents and charter leaders as they are received from the lab, and districts/charters will share results and any next steps with their respective communities.  Results and updates also will be posted on de.gov/schoolwater.

 

Currently, all fixtures that tested at or above 7.5 ppb were either turned off or had signage that noted the water was not for consumption, as confirmed by school representatives and state survey teams. Next steps on fixture usage and remediation will be determined based on the retesting results.  The signage will remain on those fixtures until schools receive additional information from the Department of Education or Division of Public Health.

 

Learn more about the state’s school water testing program at de.gov/schoolwater.

 

Media contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006

The Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) has been awarded an $809,000 federal grant to purchase one propane and three electric school buses for the Colonial School District through the federal Clean School Bus Rebate Program. Nationally, these awards are part of the first $1 billion of a five-year, $5 billion program created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, championed by Delaware’s Congressional delegation of Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) and signed into law by President Joe Biden in November 2021.

 

The department — which qualifies the same as a school district as an applicant for this rebate because the state is a funder, purchaser and title owner of almost 500 school buses – submitted rebate applications for Colonial and four other districts. The award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was from a random generation of grant applications from around the country, and Colonial’s was the first on the lottery list among the Delaware districts.

 

“Reducing transportation-related emissions is a key part of our Climate Action Plan, and we need to expand cleaner types of transportation across our state,” Governor John Carney said. “Thank you to President Biden and our congressional delegation for supporting continued investments in cleaner transportation – an important step in our efforts to address greenhouse gas emissions.”

 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Rebate program incentivizes both electric and propane school bus purchases since both are cleaner than diesel engine buses. Delaware school bus fleets already contain about 108 propane buses. These will be Delaware’s first electric school buses.

 

“Thanks to our historic investment in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, electric school buses are soon coming to communities across our nation,” said Senator Carper, chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “Today’s announcement means that the Colonial School District will be able to replace dirty school buses with cleaner alternatives. Importantly, these updates are going to result in cleaner air for students to breathe, more good-paying jobs, and a better future for our planet. I commend EPA Administrator Michael Regan and the Biden Administration for their continued commitment to deploying clean school buses, especially in disadvantaged communities.”

 

Senator Coons said he is grateful for the administration’s support in replacing diesel-burning school buses and creating good-paying jobs in manufacturing nationwide: “Investments in the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to modernize our school bus fleets will help us combat climate change and bring down fuel costs for schools, all while ensuring students in Colonial School District and every state across the country ride to class without breathing in harmful pollutants.”

 

Said Rep. Blunt Rochester, “With the transportation sector representing the single largest source of carbon emissions in the United States – we know that we have a tremendous opportunity with fleet and large capacity vehicles to help in our mission to reach net zero emissions. That’s why the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program – which I was proud to vote to create through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – is such a critical tool to modernize the vehicles that bring our kids to and from school every day while reducing our carbon footprint. I want to commend the Colonial School District for putting together a compelling plan to win this grant from the EPA – and I look forward to seeing these low and zero-emission school buses out on the roads of Delaware.”

 

The Clean School Bus Program will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save money for school districts and produce cleaner air. Diesel air pollution is linked to asthma and other conditions that harm students’ health and cause them to miss school, particularly in communities of color and Tribal communities. Phasing out these diesel engines will ensure cleaner air for students, bus drivers, and school staff working near the bus loading areas, and the communities through which the buses drive each day. The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from these bus replacements will also help to address the outsized role of the transportation sector in fueling the climate crisis. The program will also save school districts money as they upgrade school bus fleets, replacing older, heavily polluting buses with brand new clean school buses, while freeing up needed resources for schools.

 

“We are constantly looking for ways to improve our services to our students and families, while making the bus environment more appealing for our drivers,”  Colonial Superintendent Jeffrey Menzer said.

 

The EPA rebate program requires that the new clean buses replace older school buses that are currently in service, with the primary category for replacement being diesel buses from 2010 or before. Delaware has engaged in a concerted effort to replace older school buses over the last few years with newer, cleaner ones, and 99 percent of the state-owned buses were already newer than 2010, with 76 percent 2016 or newer.

 

Media contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006

This year the Division will invest nearly $3 million
in more than 100 arts and community organizations

WILMINGTON, DEL. (July 15, 2022) – The Delaware Division of the Arts is investing nearly $3 million in more than 110 arts and community organizations that will serve Delawareans statewide with arts programming and services, arts education, and arts marketing and promotion. This first round of funding for FY2023 includes: General Operating Support, Project Support, Arts Stabilization, StartUp and Education Resource grants.

“Artists and arts organizations state-wide have been on the cutting edge of innovation and community impact over the last two years. As they turn to a new phase of recovery from the shutdowns related to Delaware’s public health emergency, it is critical that the Delaware Division of the Arts continue our significant investment into the sector,” said Jessica Ball, director of the Delaware Division of the Arts. “This investment in the creative workforce—artists and organizations alike—enhances education, stimulates local economies, and enriches our communities.”

“Delaware’s financial support of our artists and arts organizations is engrained into the fabric of what we do at the state level,” said Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock. “Our roster of artists and arts institutions makes the State attractive for our residents, employers, and employees who spend their free time and money to enjoy the many experiences available to them. Attending an event in the State is not just about the admission price to that organization, but so often includes secondary spending at restaurants and local shops. Supporting the arts makes sense any way you look at it.”

Grant updates for fiscal year 2023:

• TranspARTation has returned! The grant will re-open in August 2022 to support travel expenses, to include buses, fuel, parking and toll costs of up to $500 (an increase of $200 from previous years) for schools to travel to Delaware arts and cultural institutions and venues in order for students to attend arts performances, events, and exhibits.
• Artist Opportunity Grants have increased to $1,000. Artist Opportunity Grants are awarded on a competitive basis to support unique professional and artistic development and presentation opportunities for artists. Applicants can request up to 80% of the opportunity cost not to exceed $1,000. Quarterly deadlines: January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1.

The awards include:

• General Operating Support for sixty-one (62) arts organizations.
• Project Support for twenty-nine (29) community-based organizations that provide arts programming for children and adults with physical or intellectual disabilities; students whose schools are under-resourced and face multiple barriers, individuals and family members dealing with cancer; and young children and community members from across Delaware.
• Eight (8) Arts Stabilization projects that support capital improvements and repairs to facilities owned by arts organizations.
• StartUp Support for two emerging arts organizations, Jester Artspace and Reed’s Refuge, providing a combination of technical assistance and financial support for these new organizations.
• Fourteen (14) education-based partnerships between Delaware’s schools, arts organizations and artists that provide teacher training and standards-based arts learning experiences for pre K-12 students statewide, in alignment with the Delaware Standards for Learning in the Visual and Performing Arts.

Grants for Fiscal Year 2023

Grant Program	# Grants	Amount Awarded
General Operating Support	62	$2,467,700
Project Support	29	$291.400
Arts Stabilization	8	$90,000
StartUp	2	$24,500
Education Resource	14	$130,700
TOTAL	115	$2,984,300

 

 

Funding for the Delaware Division of the Arts comes from the Delaware General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, an independent federal agency. In addition, the funds for capital improvements grants—provided by the Arts Stabilization Fund—are drawn from the Arts Consortium of Delaware, Inc. (ArtCo) endowment. A complete list of grants for the first round of FY2023 can be found here.

Grant review panels made up of Delaware artists, arts educators, arts and nonprofit organization administrators, corporate and fundraising managers, and interested community members, provided an impartial peer review of these grant applications based on established evaluation criteria, reflecting the importance of having diverse public and expert participation in the grant-making process.

The Division also awards grants on an on-going basis throughout the year, including Arts Access grants, Artist Residencies, Individual Artist Fellowships, and Individual Artist Opportunity grants. Full grant descriptions are available on the Division’s website and at the end of the release.

Interested members of the public, artists, arts organizations, and community leaders are encouraged to visit the Division’s website to learn more about these programs. Notification of grant deadlines, guidelines and applications, as well as technical assistance opportunities are published in the monthly e-newsletter, Arts E-News. Please visit our website at arts.delaware.gov for more details.

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GRANT PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

Arts Organizations: Non-profit Delaware organizations whose primary mission is the promotion, production, presentation, or teaching of the arts

General Operating Support – support of annual operating expenses to ensure that year-round participation in the arts is available to the people of Delaware. This grant category utilizes a three-year application cycle. Full applications are due every three years, with Interim applications due in the “off” years. Annual March 1 deadline.

Arts Stabilization – supports improvements to facilities owned (or under long-term lease) and operated by the organization. Arts Stabilization grants are funded through the Division’s participation in the Arts Consortium of Delaware, Inc. (ArtCo) endowment. Annual March 1 deadline.

StartUp – a comprehensive program of financial support, training, and consultation to develop and strengthen the management capacity of emerging arts organizations so that they can operate in a sustainable manner. Completion of the StartUp program is a prerequisite for emerging organizations seeking General Operating Support. Annual March 1 deadline.

Arts Access – supports small budget projects that include the presentation of performing, visual, literary, media, or folk arts in communities throughout the state. Applications must be submitted at least six weeks prior to the project start date, and are reviewed as they are received, beginning on July 1 of each year. Organizations that receive General Operating or Project Support from the Division are not eligible to apply. Rolling deadline.

Community-Based Organizations: Non-profit Delaware organizations, colleges, universities, and government entities that do not have the arts as their primary mission

Project Support – supports arts programs provided by CBOs that assist in the growth of a vibrant cultural environment by encouraging the continued development of arts activities in communities throughout the state. College and university projects must be non-credit and serve the general community.  Annual March 1 deadline.

Arts Access – supports small budget projects that include the presentation of performing, visual, literary, media, or folk arts in communities throughout the state. Applications must be submitted at least six weeks prior to the project start date, and are reviewed as they are received, beginning on July 1 of each year. Organizations that receive General Operating or Project Support from the Division are not eligible to apply. Rolling deadline.

Schools: Delaware pre-K through 12 public, charter, private, and parochial schools

Artist Residency – grants for residencies with visual, literary, performing, or media artists working with students in the classroom or in professional development workshops with teachers. Rolling deadline.

TranspARTation – grants that support transportation costs for schools to travel to Delaware arts and cultural institutions and venues in order for students to attend arts performances, events and exhibits. The FY2023 TranspARTation application will be available in August 2022 for the 2022-2023 school year.

Arts Organizations and Schools:

Education Resource – grants to strengthen standards-based arts education projects, programs, and activities that utilize the arts education resources of the Delaware arts community or strengthen arts organizations’ capacity to serve as professional development resources for teaching artists and educators.  Annual March 1 deadline.

Individual Artists: Delaware residents, 18 years of age or older, not enrolled in a degree-granting program

Artist Fellowships – supports individual artists in their work as visual, performing, media, folk, and/or literary artists. Applications are received and processed by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. FY2022 Masters categories are Literary and Media Arts. Annual August 1 deadline (August 2 in 2021).

Artist Opportunity Grants – provides up to $1,000 to support individual artists with unique professional and artistic development or presentation opportunities. Quarterly deadlines, January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1.

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Contact: Andrew Truscott, Program Officer, Marketing and Communications
302-577-8280, andrew.truscott@delaware.gov

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The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is dedicated to cultivating and supporting the arts to enhance the quality of life for all Delawareans. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. For more information about the Delaware Division of the Arts, visit arts.delaware.gov or call 302-577-8278.

State of Emergency will terminate at ​6:00 p.m. Tuesday; Delaware school masking announcement is consistent with new CDC guidance; Vaccine or testing requirements set to end today

WILMINGTON, Del. — Governor John Carney on Monday announced that he will sign an order terminating the COVID-19 State of Emergency and the masking requirement in public and private K-12 schools and child care facilities effective at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1.  

The announcement is consistent with new masking guidance issued on Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Masking will not be required by the State of Delaware in K-12 schools, on school buses, or in child care facilities after 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1. 

The Delaware Department of Education (DOE) and the Division of Public Health (DPH) have issued updated guidance to district and school leaders to aid response efforts following the expiration of the mask requirement. 

Governor Carney also announced that vaccine or testing requirements for educators and state employees will expire at 11:59 p.m. today, Monday, February 28. 

The mask requirement in most State facilities will also be lifted starting on Wednesday, March 2. Additional guidance for state employees will be issued on Monday by the Department of Human Resources (DHR). ​

“There are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about where we’re headed,” said Governor Carney. “Over the last month, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have fallen dramatically, and we are clearly moving into a new phase of this pandemic. Today’s announcement is consistent with new guidance from the CDC. And it’s consistent with the latest thinking from Delaware’s experts at the Division of Public Health. Delawareans who want to continue wearing a mask – including children in our schools – should be supported and encouraged to do so, even as we move into this new phase. We’ll also continue to encourage all eligible Delawareans to get up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations.” 

On Tuesday, the State of Emergency will be lifted. At the same time, a more narrow Public Health Emergency Order will be issued to replace a Public Health Emergency Order issued on July 12, 2021. This updated Public Health Emergency Order will allow hospitals and long-term care facilities continued flexibility to respond to cases of COVID-19.

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DOVER, DE (Jan. 28, 2022) – The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is providing an update on the most recent statistics related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Delaware, as of Thursday, Jan 27, 2022. DPH reports a 57 percent decrease in the seven-day average of new positive cases reported since the peak of the surge on Jan. 12, 2022. The current seven-day average of new positive cases reported has declined to 1,448 as of Thursday. Jan. 27.

Case totals remain elevated, so Delawareans should continue to take important steps to keep themselves and others safe and to maintain positive new data trends. 

• Get vaccinated and boosted. COVID-19 vaccines continue to offer the best protection against infection, hospitalization and death. 
• Wear a well-fitting mask in public and when around others outside of your household. Make sure your mask fits properly over your nose and mouth. 
• Stay home if you have symptoms or if you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. Avoid non-essential in-person social gatherings. 
• Go to the emergency room if you have a true emergency, but do not go to the ER only for a COVID-19 test. Our hospitals are strained, and emergency departments need to be preserved for life-threatening emergencies. 

• Get tested if: 

§ You have symptoms. 

§ It has been five days after you were exposed to someone with COVID-19. 

§ You are unvaccinated (those not vaccinated should be tested once per week). 

COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations: 

• Total positive cases since March 11, 2020: 246,037 
• 7-day average of new positive cases: 1448.9, a decrease of 683.2 from last week. 
• 7-day average for the percentage of total positive tests: 21.6%, a decrease of 6 percentage points from last week 
• Hospitalizations: 453, a decrease of 168 from last week; critically ill: 47, a decrease of 21 from last week  
• Total COVID-19 deaths: 2,498 
• Total COVID-19 deaths reported since last week: 48, including 7 from a review of vital statistics records.   

COVID-19 Vaccinations:  

• Total number of doses administered in Delaware: 1,642,264 
• Percentage of Delawareans 5+ who received at least one dose (CDC data) 85% 
• Percentage of Delawareans 12+ who received at least one dose (CDC data): 90.2%  
• Percentage of Delawareans 18+ who received at least one dose (CDC data): 92.1% 
• Percent of Delawareans who are fully vaccinated (CDC data): 66.1%  

All qualifying Delawareans should get vaccinated. Individuals who qualify for a booster dose should get one as soon as possible. For the latest information on the COVID-19 vaccine in Delaware, visit de.gov/getmyvaccine. For information on boosters, visit de.gov/boosters. Delaware’s latest COVID-19 vaccination statistics can be found under the Vaccine Tracker dashboard at de.gov/healthycommunity.  

COVID-19 Case Vaccination Status Report:   

The following reports capture a weekly breakdown of vaccination status for cases, deaths, and hospitalizations for the time frame for Jan.17 – Jan. 23. 

Weekly Overview (1/17/22 – 1/23/22)
Unvaccinated Cases
Total Unvaccinated / Partially Vaccinated Cases	6614
Total Cases	11661
Percent of Unvaccinated / Partially Vaccinated Cases	57%
Hospitalizations
Unvaccinated / Partially Vaccinated Hospitalized Cases	183
Total Hospitalized Cases	292
Percent of Unvaccinated / Partially Vaccinated Hospitalized Cases	63%
Deaths
Unvaccinated / Partially Vaccinated COVID-19 Deaths	24
Total COVID-19 Deaths	40
Percent of Unvaccinated / Partially Vaccinated COVID-19 Deaths	60%
Weekly Overview (1/17/22 – 1/23/22)
Non-boosted Cases
Total Non-boosted Cases	10021
Total Cases	11661
Percent of Non-boosted Cases	86%
Non-boosted Hospitalized Cases
Total Non-boosted Hospitalized Cases	258
Total Hospitalized Cases	292
Percent of Non-boosted Cases	88%
Non-boosted Deaths
Total Non-boosted Deaths	33
Total COVID-19 Deaths	40
Percent of Non-boosted Cases	83%

 

  

Breakthrough Cases (cumulative since vaccinations began): 

• Total breakthrough cases: 18,698, or 3.2% of fully vaccinated individuals  
• Total breakthrough hospitalizations: 208 
• Total breakthrough deaths: 191

 

A breakthrough case is defined as testing positive for COVID-19 after an individual has been fully vaccinated for two weeks or more.

COVID-19 Variant Cases in Delaware:   

Of the samples collected during the week of Jan. 7 – Jan. 13, the Omicron variant represented 97.4% of cases sequenced for a variant of concern, variant of interest, or variant being monitored. The remaining 2.6% of sequenced cases were identified as Delta. 

As a reminder, DPH is now providing variant data based on sample collection date rather than sequencing date, due to the length of time between sample collection (when a person is tested) and when samples are sequenced by laboratories, which can be lagged by two weeks or longer. This will more accurately reflect the proportion of specific variants that are circulating in the community at various points in time. 

The Delaware Public Health Laboratory and other laboratories regularly monitor for the presence of COVID-19 variants, including Delta and Omicron, through routine genomic sequencing of test specimens. Genome sequencing is a public health surveillance tool used to monitor the prevalence of COVID-19 variants; it is not used to diagnose individuals with a specific strain of COVID-19, as treatment recommendations do not differ based on variant strains. COVID-19 tests identify current infection of COVID-19, but do not identify a specific variant of the virus the individual might have. 

Long-term Care Statistics:  

As of Thursday, Jan. 27, there have been a total of 3,045 positive COVID-19 cases involving long-term care residents, and 896 residents of Delaware long-term care facilities have died from complications related to COVID-19.  

Flu Update:

There were 12 laboratory-confirmed cases reported the week of Jan. 16 – Jan. 22. As of Jan. 22, 2022, the most recent date for which flu statistics are available, there have been 607 laboratory-confirmed cases for the current season. The cases involved 423 individuals from New Castle County, 79 from Kent County and 105 from Sussex County. This number reflects only the number of lab-confirmed cases; the actual number of cases circulating statewide is likely higher as not all people with the flu seek treatment, and many cases are diagnosed through rapid test kits in a provider’s office versus a lab. 

All individuals 6 months and older are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated against the flu if they haven’t already. Flu vaccines are available at pharmacies (including those in grocery stores), participating medical provider offices, Federally Qualified Health Centers (for their patients), as well as Division of Public Health clinics. DPH is also advising the public that the flu vaccine can be administered at the same time as the COVID-19 vaccine. 

For the latest information on the flu in Delaware, visit flu.delaware.gov. 

Resources:  

Individuals with general questions about COVID-19 should call Delaware 2-1-1, individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing can text their ZIP code to 898-211, or email delaware211@uwde.org. Hours of operation are:  

Monday – Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.  

Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  

Medically related questions regarding testing, symptoms, and health-related guidance can be submitted by email at DPHCall@delaware.gov.  

Delawareans 18 or older are encouraged to download COVID Alert DE, Delaware’s free exposure notification app to help protect your neighbors while ensuring your privacy. Download on the App Store or Google Play.  

DPH will continue to update the public as more information becomes available. For the latest on Delaware’s response, go to de.gov/coronavirus.  

  

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Anyone who is deaf, hard of hearing, Deaf-Blind or speech disabled can contact DPH by dialing 711 first using specialized devices (i.e., TTY, TeleBraille, voice devices). The 711 service is free and to learn more about how it works, please visit delawarerelay.com. 

The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.