§ Â 3131. Conduct of meetings.

(a) No charter school or school district, or any person acting under the authority of a charter school or school district, shall discriminate or take any adverse employment or contract action against any person based upon statements that person makes while advocating for a student in connection with an individualized education program (IEP), including statements made in preparation for or at a meeting, review, or conference concerning a child with a disability’s free, appropriate public education. Entities or persons who violate this subsection shall be subject to the same injunctive and monetary sanctions as persons or entities that engage in unlawful employment practices under Chapter 7 of Title 19.

(b) Subject to confidentiality requirements of applicable state or federal law, minutes may be taken, by disclosed recording device or stenographer, of any meeting, review or conference concerning a child with a disability’s free, appropriate, public education, at the option of the parents of the child with a disability, their authorized representative or the agency conducting the meeting, review or conference. Costs of the recording shall be borne by the person or agency exercising the option under this section.

(c) Discussions about employment options with children and parents during the IEP process should be consistent with Delaware’s employment first policy articulated by § 743 of Title 19. Progress made toward post-secondary goals in transition IEPs will be reported with the same frequency as that for academic goals.

(d) The Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Justice, shall annually survey a material number of parents and children who have individualized education programs with respect to the parents’ and children’s satisfaction with the IEP process. Information gathered through this survey shall be used by the Department of Education and Department of Justice to conduct follow-up examinations with school districts and charter schools as to their good faith compliance with state and federal laws and regulations.