DOVER — A bill to implement the first statewide health standards to evaluate the physical conditions of Delaware schools was introduced to the Senate on Thursday.

Senate Bill 270, sponsored by Sen. Stephanie Hansen, D-Middletown, would establish an assessment system created by the Department of Education to determine the state of a school or educational facility to assure that it is clean, safe and functional.

The legislation would also require the Division of Public Health to begin a routine air quality-monitoring program and set temperature and humidity standards for school buildings that would be published on the Department of Health and Social Services website.

DPH also would be mandated to create a system in which schools would use certified contractors for their air-quality projects and create procedures to report concern regarding their indoor air.

According to Sen. Hansen, the lack of statewide procedures to monitor the physical quality of schools has caused many to fall behind on necessary repairs. She said the estimated cost of needed fixes for Delaware schools has increased to over $1 billion as a result.

“Nearly 140,000 children and 15,000 educators spend much of each day in our school buildings, yet there are no meaningful statewide standards for evaluating the safety, functionality and cleanliness of those facilities, which makes prioritizing the need for specific repairs and maintenance nearly impossible,” she said Thursday.

“The legislation I filed today will provide a pathway to developing a common standard and provide a healthy indoor environment in our school buildings throughout our state to better direct funding where it’s needed most.”

SB 270 was assigned to the Senate Education Committee, in which Sen. Hansen and fellow co-sponsors of the bill — Sen. Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman, D-Wilmington; Sen. Dave Sokola, D-Newark; and Sen. Bryan Townsend, D-Newark — are members. The fiscal note for the legislation is listed as incomplete; however, if the note is implemented, it would require the bill to have a three-fifths-majority vote to pass.

Additionally, the bill would appoint DOE to create a variety of health-evaluation tools for schools by Jan. 1, 2024 — baseline standards for water quality, fire safety, mold and mildew, structural integrity, mechanical and electrical systems, sewer systems and more. The department would consult with each school district for these specifications.

Annual inspections to determine if facilities have met the standards would be required. The bill also necessitates the inspection data be shared at school board meetings and for district superintendents to present the data, as well as a board-approved remediation plan, to DOE and the Joint Capital Improvement Committee by May 1 annually.

Districts would need to be in accordance with air quality-monitoring programs outlined by DPH by Jan. 1, 2025, and must be in full compliance by May 1 of that year. SB 270 would also require all complaints regarding indoor air quality to be reported to respective board of education meetings.

Current procedures require districts to conduct their own assessments of their facilities. Each of the state’s 19 districts has its own set of standards, and no state law requires annual analysis.

When these evaluations show glaring needs, districts can submit minor capital improvement projects, valued less than $1 million, to DOE. Afterward, districts can request funding through DOE’s annual budget proposal to the Joint Capital Improvement Committee.

An estimated $10 million to $15 million each year is allocated to small capital improvement projects statewide, according to a Thursday press release from the Senate. However, the current cost of such projects requested by districts exceeds $1.1 billion, and more than 46% of that is from the Christina and Red Clay Consolidated school districts.

The legislation introduced Thursday is much needed, said Stephanie Ingram, president of the Delaware State Education Association.

“A school is a place for education, and it’s also a place where kids can socialize and develop skills that will help them later in life,” she said.

“When it comes to ensuring our schools are safe, structurally sound, clean and welcoming, Delaware school districts have done much to ensure our schools are safe, structurally sound, clean and welcoming, without adequate funding or direction from the state, resulting in an estimated $1 billion in deferred maintenance.”

Ms. Ingram continued: “Delaware can do better. We know our members’ working conditions are our students’ learning conditions. Senate Bill 270 provides a process dedicated to prevention and reporting. This bill puts the minor capital funding needs of schools front and center during the capital budget process.”

The date of the next Senate Education Committee meeting is to be determined. The House of Representatives and Senate reconvene Tuesday.