Jenny Howard

A complete education requires honest history. Delaware's 2021 law mandating African American curriculum in K-12 schools was an important step, but compliance alone is not the goal. The goal is students who understand the full, unvarnished story of this country, including the experiences of Black, Indigenous, Latino, Asian American, and other historically marginalized communities.
As a board member, I would hold Red Clay accountable for meaningful implementation, not checkbox compliance. That means evaluating whether adopted curricula actually reflect the law's intent, ensuring teachers have the training and resources to teach this content with confidence, and creating space for community voices in curriculum review.
Students cannot develop critical thinking or genuine civic empathy without access to accurate, inclusive history. I commit to making that a priority in Red Clay.

Students learn democracy by practicing it. I believe schools must be spaces where students can ask hard questions, disagree respectfully, and advocate for what they believe without fear of punishment for the content of their views.
As a board member, I would review and strengthen district policies governing student expression to ensure they reflect First Amendment protections and distinguish genuine disruption from mere discomfort. My work on Red Clay's Board Policy Review Committee has shown me how much policy language shapes daily reality for students and staff alike.
I would also push for transparent, consistently applied discipline practices so that students from all backgrounds are treated equally when they speak up. Every student, regardless of zip code, race, or belief, deserves the freedom to engage fully in civic life, starting in our schools.

Discipline data tells a story, and Red Clay must be willing to read it honestly. Black students, students with disabilities, and low-income students are disciplined at disproportionate rates across Delaware districts, and that disparity does not reflect difference in behavior. It reflects difference in how behavior is interpreted and responded to.
As a board member, I would push for regular, disaggregated public reporting of discipline data so the community can see exactly who is being removed from the classroom and why. Transparency creates accountability. I would also advocate for clear standards around when exclusionary discipline is and is not appropriate, and ensure corrective plans required under the SDIP process are taken seriously rather than treated as paperwork.
Every student loses when a child is pushed out of the learning environment. Keeping students in school is both a civil rights issue and an academic one.

Research shows that police presence in schools can undermine the sense of safety and belonging that students need to thrive, and disproportionately impacts Black and brown students and students with disabilities.
As a board member, I would advocate for centering student and family voices in evaluating how Red Clay uses SROs and constables, and prioritizing investment in counselors, mental health staff, and restorative practices over law enforcement presence in our schools.

Equitable budgeting means resources follow students, not the other way around. Delaware's Opportunity Funds exist precisely to direct additional support to English language learners, students with disabilities, and low-income students. As a board member, I would ensure those funds are spent as intended and that waivers are not used to circumvent the 95% rule that protects high-needs students.
My research into Red Clay's budget has revealed troubling patterns: opportunity funding diverted away from the schools that generate it, and CTE funds not being reinvested in generating schools as required. Those funds represent real resources that never reached the students who needed them most.
I created a local chapter of Public School Strong- Red Clay to build community awareness around exactly these issues. On the board, I would push for school-level budget transparency, regular public reporting on how weighted funds are allocated and spent, and meaningful oversight of budget decisions through bodies like the CBOC.
Transparency is not a courtesy. It is an accountability mechanism, and high-needs students cannot afford for it to be optional.

The 2023 independent report commissioned following ACLU litigation made clear what many educators and advocates have known for years: Delaware's public schools are underfunded by at least $600 million, and students are paying the price. Closing that gap requires action at the state level, but school boards are NOT powerless.
As a board member, I would use every available tool to ensure Red Clay captures the funding it is entitled to. That means protecting weighted funds from being diverted through waivers or redirected away from the students who generate them, advocating loudly and publicly when state funding falls short, and building the kind of budget transparency that makes underfunding visible and harder to ignore.
Through my work with Public School Strong, I have seen how community awareness moves policy. A board that names the problem clearly, documents it publicly, and refuses to quietly absorb cuts is a board that creates pressure for change.

Every student deserves to feel safe, seen, and fully included in school. LGBTQ+ students are not an exception. Red Clay has taken meaningful steps to create inclusive policies for transgender and gender diverse students, and I am committed to protecting and strengthening those policies. In a political climate where LGBTQ+ students are increasingly targeted, school boards have a responsibility to hold the line and ensure existing protections are implemented consistently and not quietly eroded.
As a board member, I would oppose any effort to roll back inclusive policies and actively support their full implementation across every school in the district.

Protecting students' personal information, including immigration status, is a legal obligation and a moral one. I have already demonstrated this commitment publicly: I have spoken at Red Clay Consolidated School District board meetings advocating for the district to reaffirm its resolutions protecting immigrant students and families, and the board did pass and reaffirm that resolution.
A policy I would support must include:
Strict data protection protocols limiting collection and disclosure of student immigration status, in compliance with FERPA and beyond, with no voluntary sharing with federal immigration authorities absent a valid, court-issued warrant reviewed by district legal counsel;
Clear, written guidance for staff on responding to ICE contact or inquiries, including notification procedures for families and escalation to district administration and legal counsel;
Proactive, multilingual distribution of Know Your Rights materials to students, families, and staff through schools, the district website, enrollment packets, and community partners, so that access is not dependent on knowing to ask;
Staff training to ensure educators and administrators can respond with confidence and consistency, protecting both students and themselves; and
Active coordination with community resources, including legal aid organizations, immigrant advocacy groups, and DDOE guidance, so families know where to turn.

Red Clay's diversity is a strength. Every family, regardless of status, must be able to trust that our schools are safe. I have said so publicly, and I will act on it as a board member.

A parent who cannot understand what is being said at an IEP meeting, a report card conference, or a school board meeting is effectively shut out of their child's education. That is an equity failure.
Translated materials and in-person interpreters are not extras. They are essential tools for ensuring that every family, regardless of the language spoken at home, can meaningfully participate in their child's schooling. Research is clear that family engagement drives student outcomes, and engagement requires communication.
As a board member, I would ensure Red Clay has the staffing and resources to meet the needs of its ELL families consistently and proactively, not just when someone thinks to ask.