Cape Henlopen Education Association casts vote of no confidence against district, superintendent
LEWES, Del. – The Cape Henlopen Education Association cast a vote of no confidence in the school district’s Board of Education and superintendent. President of the Cape Henlopen Education Association Lacey Brown says teachers are ready to get back to school. But the ultimate concern is safety. “It’s not to cause a problem with the district or community. We’re on the front lines and we’re both feet in,” said Brown.
Brown says that teachers that need more answers and preparation to begin school on September 16th. “When our staff entered the buildings expecting to see what was outlined in the plan, what was instituted in the plan not in the buildings, it was a concern to them,” said Brown.
Brown says that some educators were surprised to find that social distancing markings and signage were missing when they returned to the district’s buildings. She also says that the district hasn’t provided enough information on how things like mask wearing, cleaning protocols, and transportation will work. “Consistency is something we strive for as educators and as a district. So that’s a little bit concerning to staff. When you talk to staff it’s ‘That’s not how it’s being done in my building. It’s being done this way’,” said Brown.
In the districts reopening plan they do outline wearing masks, transportation, and cleaning protocols. Superintendent Robert Fulton said in a statement, “Based on all that has been accomplished through our administrators and staff’s collaborative work, we are surprised by the decision of the CHEA leadership team to move forward with this announcement.”
The superintendent also says he is confident they can work together to provide the best education possible for Cape Students. The statement continues, “This summer, the CHEA leadership team submitted hundreds of questions to the administrative team that were answered in a timely manner, and all have been answered at this time. I am equally confident that our team of teachers, support staff, and administrators will continue to work together to provide the very best education we can for our Cape students. We look forward to a successful school year.”
Meanwhile, Brown says that working together with the school district to get the answers CHEA is looking for is crucial for everyone. “This is ultimately about the safety of the students and the safety of staff,” said Brown.
The Cape Henlopen School district says that the announcement is disappointing – but it wont’ change the first day of school on September 16th. Brown says teachers will be returning to school on that day, and they’re excited to get back to work. But they hope the district will make some changes before then.
To read CHEA’s full statement on the vote of no confidence, click here.
