Delaware
Civil rights complaint targets English learner support in southern Del. school district
‘This is not how it’s supposed to be run’
Michaud Ngido, who has taught in the district for nearly three years and previously worked as an ESL (English as a second language) teacher in Tennessee for seven years, was surprised to find that Mariner Middle School lacked designated English learner classes.
“I assumed with time we could develop the classes and they would let me kind of pull out and teach my own classes,” she said. “But they started to pull back on that, and so we weren’t even allowed to create makeshift classes anymore for the newcomers.”
As a result, students with little to no English proficiency are placed directly into general education classes with no specialized instruction.
“They were just 100% all day in regular classes,” she explained. “I knew the law, that this is not how it’s supposed to be run. I didn’t feel like we were being heard and were being taken seriously.”
When she voiced her concerns to administrators, she said they dismissed them, claiming Delaware had no specific requirements for ELL instruction and that parents could not sue.
“Which is not correct. That’s not how it works,” she said. “So I just realized I have to go to the next level.”
For students caught in this system, the consequences are clear: Many fall through the cracks.
“Because they’re in regular classes, they’re hiding, they just sort of disappear,” Michaud Ngido said. “They don’t understand what’s being spoken. They sometimes can do Google Translate and translate the worksheet, but they have kind of missed the lecture or they’ve missed the presentation, or if there’s a video clip, they can’t understand that.”
She noted that grades do not always reflect a student’s true comprehension, as teachers often try to be lenient.
“If they really gave an honest, truthful grade, they’d probably all be failing every single class because they can’t read the material. They can’t write in English. They can’t understand the lectures,” she explained. “Teachers are very charitable and if you’re making an effort, then they’re going to give you a good grade and they realize your struggle. So grades are kind of a hard marker to use.”
Delaware
Local police departments earn state accreditation
The Delaware Police Officer Standards and Training Commission recently announced that the Dewey Beach Police Department and Rehoboth Beach Police Department have both earned state accreditation from the Delaware Police Accreditation Commission.
As part of the rigorous process, a team of DPAC assessors ensured all accreditation standards were met by completing comprehensive, on-site inspections of each agency, reviewing their policies and procedures for compliance, and conducting interviews with department members.
“This milestone represents a significant step forward for public safety in Delaware. The initial state accreditation of these police agencies reflects a strong commitment to professionalism, accountability and excellence in law enforcement. I commend each department for their dedication to serving their communities with integrity and for upholding the highest standards,” said Joshua Bushweller, Department of Safety and Homeland Security secretary and DPAC chair.
Delaware
DDA inducts three Delaware Century Farms – 47abc
Dover, Del. – Three farms, one from each of Delaware’s counties, were inducted into the Century Farm Program by the state Department of Agriculture on Thursday at the Delaware Agricultural Museum.
Each of the family farms has been owned and operated for at least a century. Each received a sign for their farms, an engraved plate and legislative tributes.
In addition to Secretary of Agriculture, Don Clifton, and Deputy Secretary Jimmy Kroon, state Senators David Wilson (R – District 18) and Kyra Hoffner (D – District 14) were also in attendance.
Wright Family Farms are located in Harrington in Kent County. In 1919, the farm was purchased by William Wright. Over a century later, William’s grandson, Ronald, is the owner and his great-grandson, Greg, said he hopes to continue the family legacy by buying the farm from his father.
Although the event celebrated each family for their hard work and resilience, it also highlighted the challenges farmers have to surmount to stay in business today, let alone for a hundred years.
“The price of equipment, the price of fertilizer, the price of seed, everything is just gone up,” Greg said. “So, you know, everything’s going up that we gotta purchase just to stay in business.”
Clifton, Kroon and Wilson also echoed difficulties in balancing the need to preserve agricultural land with the need to develop housing and sustainable energy projects like solar power.
“I know housing is very important, and we want people to always have good housing, but at some point, I think you’re going to saturate the area with more houses than you have food to feed these people,” Wilson said.
Kroon also said there are difficulties in keeping future generations motivated to stay in farming.
“When you think about it in the context of multi-generational farm families, there’s a real long-term challenge where a new generation may think twice about whether they want to keep farming if it’s always a struggle,” he said.
Clifton said farming has always been a challenging way of life, but it has been so since time immemorial.
“These families, their experience shows that they have an appreciation for the way of life and perseverance and that’s to be honored and emulated to the greatest extent possible,” he said.
Greg said he hopes to pass down the way of life so that his family legacy can live on for another hundred years, as well as for other families.
“A hundred years as the same family tilling the land, that’s, you know, that’s an honor right there,” Greg said. “And I hope that more farmers who are close to 100 years old will be doing the same thing. You know, keep it in the family.”
Delaware
Investigation underway after man’s body pulled from Delaware River
An investigation is underway after police said a man’s body was pulled from the Delaware River in South Philadelphia.
According to police, around 9 a.m. on Friday, April 17, 2026, emergency responders pulled an unidentified man from the Delaware River, near the Navy Yard. Medic’s pronounced the man dead at 9:11 a.m.
Léelo en español aquí.
SkyForce10 flew above as police and other first responders were on the scene.
NBC10
NBC10
Police are working to determine the circumstances of the incident and identify the man.
This is a developing story; check back here for updates.
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