Jessica Tyndall

Equity is each person or group getting what they need to be successful. It is also the belief that we must closely examine the historical practices that limit the success of some in order to break down barriers in our current practices. Equity is different from equality in that, instead of just providing the same resources to everyone, it seeks to address historical inequities by distributing resources in a manner that helps restore fairness and justice.

During my tenure on the Cape Board of Education, I have been a strong advocate for equality across our schools. I believe that students attending our highest need schools should have the same educational opportunities and experiences as students who attend our most affluent schools. To achieve this, we have allocated more resources to the schools in our district that need it the most, giving students from Slaughter Neck to Dewey Beach the best educational experience possible.

As the saying goes, “it takes a village”, and for our district, it takes a Cape Family. This family includes all of our staff, from our invaluable support staff members, to our educators, administrators and related services professionals. Cape goes the extra mile by including our parents and community in our “family”. We have nurtured partnerships with community groups to address issues of equity for students of color, students who identify as LGBTQ+, and students from low-SES homes. We have also partnered with local businesses to provide employment opportunities for our students with disabilities and mentorship for students both vocationally and academically. Bringing together all available resources and stakeholders we can ensure that our district provides our students with the best education possible.

I am proud to say that Cape Henlopen was one of the first districts to incorporate restorative practices in our schools and the only district to have restorative measures included in our code of conduct. Student safety is always a top priority and there are some discipline issues that must result in removal from the school environment. Restorative practices exist not to remove responsibility for bad behavior, but to resolve issues at the root cause, provide students with a sense of responsibility for their behavior and above all, keep students in school and in class learning.

I believe this issue requires a fine balance between giving our students opportunities to learn in a censorship-free manner, with the rights of parents to make informed decisions about what is best for their students/families. The Cape District aims to provide students with valuable, age-appropriate learning experiences in a nurturing and inclusive environment. Should parents object to any curricular materials, we have a policy that outlines a democratic procedure for reviewing topics and materials.

I whole-heartedly support the above statement. We have a moral obligation to provide a safe, inclusive and nurturing environment for ALL students, so that each student can reach their potential.

Yes - Our Board has reviewed, edited and created several anti-discrimination policies for staff and for students. We feel that creating a welcoming, affirming, and inclusive learning environment is imperative.

Within the policies noted in the above question are procedures for handling bullying/discrimination complaints and our District takes these reports seriously and performs in depth investigations into every instance. We have also instituted anti-bullying educational materials and character education programs to help students understand the seriousness of such behavior and helps them understand how to report instances of bullying to a trusted adult.

The Cape District prioritizes communication with all stakeholders and has provided all communication in both English and Spanish for many years. We have ensured that all schools have EL educators in every building, who are available for school meetings and events. We actively seek to build relationships with ALL families and are committed to removing barriers to parents’ participation in their students’ education.

It’s important for the staff and leadership in our schools to reflect our student populations. Students of color need to see themselves in our leaders, so that they can feel empowered to one day become leaders. It’s also important for our white students to see other races in positions of power.

The discovery of detrimental lead levels in the water supply of many schools across our state was alarming. Thankfully, the two locations in the Cape District no longer exist. As a board member, I was disappointed at the flawed methods of lead testing and the lack of transparency by the state on the testing methods and timeline. The Cape District has contracted with a firm that will be monitoring the levels of lead in our schools’ water and the results will be posted on our website, providing full transparency with our parents and community.