Delaware
Deaf and hard-of-hearing community raise concerns over ACLU-DE complaint against Dept. of Ed.
The ACLU of Delaware wants an investigation into systemic discrimination against deaf and hard-of-hearing youth, but several in the hearing impaired community oppose it.
The ACLU’s complaint calls for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights to investigate the Delaware Department of Education’s (DDOE) lack of access to Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) services and over-referrals to Delaware School for the Deaf.
Backlash from the deaf and hard-of-hearing community (DHH) centers on the ACLU’s referral to LSL therapy as the “gold standard” when teaching communication skills to hearing impaired children.
LSL therapy teaches a child to use the hearing provided by a hearing aid or a cochlear implant for understanding speech and learning to talk, but director of Connecticut-based advocacy organization Language First Kim Ofori-Sanzo explains this approach is not effective for all children.
“More recent evidence is showing that actually, if you give a deaf or hard-of-hearing child a signed language, in addition to [LSL], that can help fill in those gaps of what they’re not hearing, what they’re missing through their ears and help them acquire a complete language,” she says.
Ofori-Sanzo says while Language First does not oppose LSL therapy entirely, the ACLU’s language surrounding it discredits other teaching methods for DHH children.
In their open letter to the ACLU, Language First says: “Mainstream and LSL settings are not the only educational placements where DHH children can receive meaningful, individualized education. It is vital that DHH children receive education that is individualized to them; not an automatic placement in a mainstream or LSL environment with the assumption that this must be least restrictive.”
Members of the DHH community are also concerned with the ACLU’s statement that the DDOE is over-referring hearing-impaired students to the Delaware School for the Deaf (DSD).
The complaint states: “The number of children enrolled at DSD is estimated at 40% of the total population of Delaware children birth-to-21 who have deafness or hearing impairment. Comparatively, the nationwide placement of these children in similarly restrictive and segregated schools is only approximately 9%.”
Ofori-Sanzo says this data can be misleading without context.
“Each state is different in how they allow deaf students to transfer to their school for the deaf… To compare the national average to Delaware’s average is not an apples to apples comparison because you’re comparing potentially some states where it’s super easy to [enroll a student in the school for the deaf] and other states where it’s incredibly difficult to do that,” she explains.
The ACLU complaint also states: “That so many Delaware children with hearing loss are placed at DSD, the most restrictive setting, as compared to children with hearing loss nationwide, is compelling evidence demonstrating a systemic error in placing these students appropriately and indicates that many students are being wrongfully deprived of the provision of services in their least restrictive environments.”
In response, Ofori-Sanzo says, “Schools for the deaf could very well be the least restrictive environment for deaf and hard-of-hearing kids because they offer direct communication access to peers, direct communication access to teachers, they have peers and adults who are like them — deaf kids get to see other people who are like them.”
A digital petition with over 19,000 signatures is currently circulating requesting that the ACLU retract its complaint.
When asked for comment on the complaint, Delaware DOE said: “The mission of the Delaware Department of Education is to empower every learner with the highest quality education through shared leadership, innovative practices and exemplary service. That includes support for students to receive services in the least restrictive environment. DDOE is aware of the complaint and the community opposition to it. DDOE will respond to the complaint through the U.S. Department of Education’s process.”
The ACLU of Delaware released a statement Tuesday clarifying it is not opposed to teaching American Sign Language and will begin discussing the concerns raised with members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
DELAWARE COUNTY – Delaware County is gearing up for a year-long celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary, bringing together community partners for a series of events and programs.
Delaware County’s plans for the semiquincentennial
The Delaware County America 250 Commission hosted a “We the People” party to unveil plans for the upcoming celebrations.
The events aim to educate and connect the local community while drawing visitors from outside Philadelphia to explore the area’s rich history.
What they’re saying:
“Delaware County is not just watching from the sidelines, we are proud to be an essential part of a massive regional and national celebration,” said Christine Reuther, Delaware County Council Vice Chair.
Andrea Silva, director of the Delaware County America 250 Commission, highlighted the diverse themes that will be showcased throughout the year.
Celebrating 250 years of history
The backstory:
Friday’s event celebrated Delaware County’s 250-year history, with different tables reflecting various themes.
Attendees included Colonial Farmstead, Penn’s Woods Winery, and Pathways to Freedom.
The programming will feature over 100 events, including the Battle for Independence: Amazing Race to Brandywine and the Irish America 250 Kick Off on Jan. 14.
The celebrations are expected to leave a lasting legacy, with hopes of boosting the local economy.
“We want to see real economic impact for our local businesses as visitors from around the world come to shop on our main streets and stay in our towns and eat in our restaurants,” said Reuther.
What’s next:
This year’s county event specifics can be found here.
The Source: Information from the Delaware County America 250 Commission.
How to report a crime to Delaware Crime Stoppers
This video details what Delaware Crime Stoppers is and how to report a crime. 8/25/23
A 19-year-old man was shot dead in Wilmington’s Southbridge neighborhood in the early hours of Jan. 9, police said.
Wilmington officers arriving to the 200 block of S. Claymont St. about 3:30 a.m. found the teen there.
The teen, whom police have not named, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Anyone with information about this shooting should contact Wilmington Police Detective Derek Haines at (302) 576-3656. People can also provide information to Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 or delawarecrimestoppers.com.
Violence by the numbers
This is the first homicide reported this year in Delaware, which last year saw a slight drop in all violent killings.
Delaware police reported 52 people being killed in violent crimes in 2025, a drop of nearly 12% when compared with 59 people killed in 2024, according to a Delaware Online/The News Journal database.
While the number of people killed in homicides statewide is down, the number of people killed by gunfire in Delaware was up in 2025 for the third year in a row.
According to the Delaware Online database, 47 were shot dead in Delaware last year. That was one more victim (46) than in 2024, three more (44) than in 2023 and nine more (38) than in 2022.
Despite the increase in gun-related deaths, there were fewer people shot last year in Delaware for the second year in a row.
Police reported 164 people being shot last year in Delaware. The previous year saw 195 people shot and police reported 210 people being shot in 2023.
This was the fewest people shot in Delaware since 2018, when police reported 146 people being shot statewide.
Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.
Humpback whale beaches and dies at Delaware Seashore State Park
The Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation Institute will perform a necropsy.
A dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach on Jan. 8, according to the nonprofit Marine Education Research and Rehabilitation Institute.
The juvenile male was first seen Jan. 6, floating at sea about 2 miles off the Indian River Inlet, a MERR Facebook post said. The bloated 30-foot whale ultimately beached near a private community in the early afternoon of Jan. 8, the post said.
MERR is attempting to coordinate with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to get equipment to move the whale out of the water and onto the beach to perform a necropsy, the post said. Right now, there isn’t enough information to determine a cause of death.
Delaware saw at least three dead whales last year, in the Indian River Bay, at Delaware Seashore State Park and at Pigeon Point. The first two were humpbacks, while the Pigeon Point whale was a fin whale.
A necropsy on the Delaware Seashore whale found blunt force trauma across its back, indicating it may have been struck by a ship, MERR Director Suzanne Thurman said.
Recently, on Jan. 4, a dead fin whale was found on the bow of a ship at the Gloucester Marine Terminal in New Jersey, which is located in the Port of Philadelphia on the Delaware River.
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Facebook.
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