Parents, teachers and a student representative press Red Clay board on engagement, safety and workload
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Summary
Public commenters urged the board to increase meaningful community engagement about the proposed innovation center, address student-safety concerns around stop-arm violations and consider teacher scheduling and planning time ahead of contract negotiations.
Several community members, educators and the student representative used public comment at the Jan. 21 Red Clay board meeting to press the district on the innovation center, transportation safety and teacher working conditions.
Morgan Dukes, a McCain alumnus and current staff member, said the district and board had previously acknowledged the need for community engagement on the innovation center but that little additional feedback had been gathered. "What happened to the commitment to community engagement that this board itself acknowledged was needed before moving forward with the innovation center?" Dukes asked, noting she counted 20 public-comment instances by 15 different individuals opposing the plan.
Jenny Howard raised safety concerns about school bus operations and questioned district transportation choices for the innovation center. "In just 2 months, Red Clay buses recorded 600 stop arm violations," she said, and cited a statewide estimate that "900 cars passed stopped school buses loading or unloading children every single day." Howard urged the district to consider door-side stops on major roadways and to ensure drivers use the external PA systems that Delaware requires on buses to direct students when it is safe to cross.
Steven Fackenthal, music teacher at Ritchie Elementary and president of the Red Clay Education Association, urged the board to address educator workload ahead of contract talks. He described teachers routinely working beyond contractual hours to complete planning, grading and required tasks, and said additional in-day planning time or actionable district proposals are needed. "Our working conditions are student learning conditions," Fackenthal said.
Board members did not provide immediate, itemized responses to each request during the public-comment period. The board's Citizens Budget Oversight Committee noted that answers about transportation costs for the innovation center are expected in the spring; no specific timeline for broader additional community engagement was provided on the record.