The House and Senate Pass the Christopher Chujoy Act on Donated Leave

The House and Senate have unanimously passed Senate Bill 20, the Christopher Chujoy Act. Mr. Chujoy recently passed away from a long battle with cancer. He was a paraprofessional in the Red Clay School District. I will let Mike Matthews, who is a member of the DSEA Executive Board and an educator himself, describe Mr. Chujoy and what happened to him during his battle with cancer.

Mike Matthews: “The world of Delaware education lost a hero today. Chris “Choo Choo Train” Chujoy worked as a paraprofessional in Red Clay for a number of years. He worked with some of our District’s most vulnerable students and was the 2022 Red Clay Education Support Professional of the Year. He was a kind and gentle person whose sunny optimism was a rarity in today’s world — even as he bravely stared down a diagnosis of three stage four cancers 18 months ago.

I first heard of Chris’s illness like we all do these days — on Facebook. And then I saw some comments from coworkers about “donated leave” — a policy whereby coworkers can donate TWO of their sick days so that the sick employee can receive ONE day. Chris and I connected over this and he agreed he thought the 2:1 policy was absurd. This is something that has angered me for years. And I got angry again. I found myself sharing my thoughts and concerns for Chris on social media — and some legislators took notice.

Over the last year, legislators like Sen. Bryan Townsend and Rep. Cyndie Romer worked on a bill to change the law so that donations would be at a 1:1 ratio. The four of us met at Starbucks last year so Chris could share his story and why he believed this law needed to pass to respect both those who are ill in need of the time and those who are donating their time.

Chris was a powerhouse. I can only hope this bill comes to fruition so Chris’s memory can be a future blessing to those who need the time to heal and recuperate. Chris always put a smile on the faces of those he encountered and I’m heartened to know his work will be remembered for many years to come. My condolences to his family and friends that knew him best.

So Senate Bill 20 would remove the requirement that a public school district employee who donates leave to another employee must donate 2 days of leave for the other employee to receive 1 day of leave, leaving donated leave at a 1:1 ration. Further, the bill clarifies how much leave employees of a public school district who do not accrue annual leave must use before being eligible for donated leave and clarifies the interaction between donated leave and leave available under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.

SB 20 – Donated Leave for Public School Employees	Currrent Status – Senate Passed 20-0-1. House Passed .38-0-3. Sent to the Governor.
House Sponsors – Romer, Williams, Heffernan, Baumbach, Griffith, Harris, Morrison, Osienski, Parker Selby // Yearick	Senate Sponsors – Townsend, Sturgeon, Hansen, Hoffner, Lockman, Mantzavinos, McBride, Sokola, Walsh // Lawson
House Yes Votes – Baumbach Bolden Bush Carson Chukwuocha Cooke Dorsey-Walker Griffith Harris Heffernan Johnson Lambert Longhurst Lynn Minor-Brown Moore Morrison Neal Osienski Parker-Selby Phillips Romer Schwartzkopf Williams Wilson-Anton // Collins Gray Hensley Hilovsky Jones-Giltner, Morris Postles Ramone Short Shupe Smith Vanderwende Yearick	Senate Yes Votes – Brown Gay Hansen Hoffner Huxtable Lockman Mantzavinos McBride Paradee Pinkney Sokola Sturgeon Townsend Walsh // Buckson Hocker Lawson Pettyjohn Richardon Wilson
House No Votes – None	Senate No Votes – None
House Absents or Not Voting – Dukes, Matthews, Spiegelman	Senate Absent or Not Voting – Poore