Book bans, safety, equity highlight Cape school board forum

From equity to gun violence and Black history to book bans, Cape school board candidates Jessica Tyndall and Shawn Lovenguth outlined their stances at an April 24 forum hosted by the Sunshine Circle Club at Lewes Public Library.

Candidates answered questions posed by moderator Dana Paskins and the audience. One query regarded actions being taken in other states, in which LGBTQ+-themed books are being removed from school libraries, and librarians are being charged with third-degree felonies for noncompliance.

The proposed Parents Bill of Rights Act, Paskins said, would undermine local control by inserting the federal government as a national school board, facilitate censorship and book banning, and dictate what students can learn and read.

The fact that the government wants to make a school board for the nation is ridiculous, Lovenguth said. 

“I think the school board should be at a local level,” he said. “I think the parents should be the ultimate deciding factor as to what their children look at and what they read.”

When an audience member asked for clarification, stating she was unsure whether Lovenguth believed the school board, educators in the building or parents should direct curriculum and what books are read, Lovenguth said curriculum should remain where it is, with the state.

In Delaware, district and charter schools select or develop their own curriculum and do not use a state-mandated curriculum.

As far as books, he said, “I think that, again, the parents should be able to, whether it’s in the library or not, I think the parents should be able to dictate what’s in the library.”

Not all books should be readily available, he said, referring to a list of 50 books he reviewed in which one book plot summary detailed the killing of a teacher by students. 

Lovenguth said there is a reason librarians are being arrested.

“You don’t arrest somebody for nothing,” he said. “You have to have a reason, and I think the reason is because of the content of the book.”

Tyndall said the board’s role is not to deny a parent’s voice in their child’s education. District policy states that parents should contact school administrators with concerns about a book, she said. The book is reviewed by a committee, which then makes a recommendation regarding the material. The policy, No. 110, is available at capehenlopenschools.com.

“As a parent in our district, you have the right to opt out if you don’t want your child to learn something or to participate in something,” she said. “You have every right to do that, but I don’t believe it is your right as an individual to make that [decision] for everyone.” 

Noting she was one of five school board members who voted to return to school in September 2020, Tyndall said the district’s priority is helping students return to pre-COVID normalcy by focusing on mental health as well as academic needs. The district has doubled its mental health team, she said.

“The reality is we need to address the whole child, not just one facet of that child,” she said.

Lovenguth said he agreed, but that gains are needed in reading and math, which are not where they should be. The mental health of kids is off just a little bit, he said, noting that students are disruptive in schools and on buses. Actions have consequences, he said, and discipline must take place.

Tyndall said some confusion exists regarding the student code of conduct and discipline. Restorative practices go hand-in-hand with consequences, she said. The job of educators is to keep students in classrooms and not send them out because of small infractions, she said, and educators work with students to gauge their interests and get them involved in school via teams or clubs.

“I’m very proud that we are the first and only district in the state to include restorative practices in our code of conduct,” she said. 

Asked about gun violence, Lovenguth said, “I truly believe you cannot legislate out violence, regardless of what you do with guns.” He proposed having school resource officers in all buildings.

“Laws are only made for law-abiding citizens,” he continued, “so the Legislature can put as much legislation and make as many laws as they want to try to help us, but that’s not going to help my kids come back every day.”

Lovenguth proposed sharing concerns with legislators so they can provide funding for secure buildings. At the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, there is a guard and metal detector, he said, while at H.O. Brittingham Elementary there is a door and a button, and visitors get buzzed in.

The board has little influence over legislation but can control district policies and practices to make buildings safer and tackle mental health issues, Tyndall said. 

“If someone has a sense of belonging in a school, they’re typically not going to go into that school or into that community and shoot people that care about them,” she said.

An additional school resource officer has been approved for next year as well as expanded safety staffing, she said.

Regarding HB 198 and the teaching of Black history throughout the Cape curriculum, Lovenguth said it is important for children to learn about history and where they came from.

“The only thing that I see as a bad thing in the bill is that it’s limiting to just one race,” he said. “I think it should include the Native American Indians, the Spanish Americans, the Asian Americans. There’s so much in our culture and so much in our history that kids need to learn about.”

Lovenguth said he understood that people will be appointed in each school to ensure guidelines in the bill will be achieved. A lot of bad things happened in the past, he said, and it’s important to learn from mistakes.

“We’re one community; we all bleed red,” he said. “I hope that when Cape does get that, that they’ll get the right people where they need to be so we can spearhead that.”

Tyndall said the district has aligned its curriculum to meet requirements of the law and provide educational equity.

“Our team within our district has worked and is working together to reimagine our current lessons and implement HB 198 with fidelity, pre-K through 12,” she said.

Asked about the board’s role in ensuring historically marginalized and underrepresented students have access to resources needed for success, Tyndall said the board receives training similar to what professional development teachers receive to better understand challenges students face.

Staff members, including the mental health team and school social workers, identify student needs, which leads to specific funding allocations, she said.

Funding should go where the needs are greatest, Lovenguth said, noting that Lewes and Rehoboth are better off than Slaughter Neck. A more in-depth understanding of children’s experiences on a day-to-day basis is needed, he said, and school board members should walk the streets of Milton to talk with families to find opportunities to help.

Making connections throughout the community is one of the district’s strengths, Tyndall said, adding that educators take a proactive, multi-tiered support services approach to meet student needs.

“We’re currently building systems within our district so that students don’t slip through the cracks that adults create,” she said.

Lovenguth said community support is one of the district’s strengths.

Whenever there’s a referendum for a new school, the community steps up, he said.