More Capital Schools Move To Remote Learning

Dover High School was one of three schools confirmed to be remote Friday in the Capital School District.

Parents of Capital School District say more schools have gone remote and asynchronous for part of this week, but the district will not comment.

Those schools include Dover High School, Dover Middle School and Kent County Community School, which serves about 300 students who have special needs.

KCCS, which serves about 300 students who have special needs, went remote Thursday and Friday while the middle and high schools made the move for Friday.

The core issue, according to emails and calls sent to parents from the schools, is shortages in transportation and teaching staff. That often means a lot of people have called in sick or asked for the day off and the school doesn’t have enough backup to keep classes open.

Parents were given less than two days’ notice on the in-person closures, but believe that teachers were required to show up and be available virtually for the two days.

The district has not confirmed which schools moved remote for the two days or specifics on the staffing issues of teachers and bus drivers that they say caused this move.

It’s unclear how many bus drivers and/or teachers are out triggering the virtual learning.

Shortages of school and bus staff is not new for any Delaware school district.

Last year, a human resources director for the largest school district in Sussex County shocked a House Education Committee hearing when she told them about 300 of its 1,000 educators are off on any given school day.

Like most workers, teachers and other staff have sick days and vacation days.

Celeste Bunting, director of human resources at Indian River School District, said that teachers obviously have a right to their time off. But, she said, when a large chunk of them do at the same time, districts scramble for substitute teachers or find other ways to take care of their classes.

This includes consolidating classes where one teacher has far too many students, using paraprofessionals to be the head of the classroom and other strategies.

The state teacher’s union has repeatedly stated that teachers should not be vilified for taking time off that they’re entitled to.

A couple of parents in Capital said it was their understanding that teachers are still required to report for duty virtually on Friday, but it is unclear if classes will be consolidated or how the district plans to address any shortage of teachers.

Attempts to reach the district for comment Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were unsuccessful.

Here’s the email that Dover Middle parents received Thursday after the school day indicating that Friday would be a remote day, with asynchronous and synchronous options on the schedule: