Programs and Services

Programs

Early Childhood (Birth-Age 5)

Capital School District Provides Services for 3 to 5-year-old children with Special Needs

Do You Have Concerns About Your Child?

Families may contact Capital School District if they have concerns about their child’s development in any of the following areas:

Speaking
Understanding language
Moving, walking, or playing
Seeing or hearing
Getting along with others
Learning
Paying attention
Early reading or preschool readiness skills

Free Services Available

Capital School District provides the following services at no cost to families:

Professional consultation for parents and guardians
Screening in the areas of communication, motor development, and preschool readiness skills
Assistance with identifying appropriate special education programs and services for children with special needs

Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about a child between the ages of 3 and 5, or if you would like to schedule an appointment, please contact Capital School District.

Phone: 302-857-4310
Email: childfind@capital.k12.de.us

Developmental Screening Questionnaires

Capital School District uses the Brookes online system to help complete developmental screening questionnaires. This process supports families, doctors, and community care facilities that may have concerns about the development of young children.

To submit the Ages & Stages Questionnaires for district review, please visit:

https://www.asqonline.com/family/15f3cc

After opening the link, the Ages & Stages Questionnaire website will appear. Please select:

I am completing both the ASQ-3 and ASQ questionnaires.

Important Information

The screening process cannot continue until the questionnaires are completed.

There is no cost to complete the questionnaires.

After you click the Submit button at the end of the questionnaire, the results will automatically be sent to Capital School District. Once the Early Childhood Team reviews the results, someone from the district will contact you to discuss next steps.

Please contact us at 302-857-4310 if you have any questions about the process.

Thank you for your interest in Capital School District for your early childhood needs.

Mentoring

All Capital Schools support students through Creative Mentoring, a program of Connecting Generations, providing matching and training for in-school volunteer mentors.

Connecting Generations is the only organization in Delaware providing free, regularly scheduled mentor training to any adult who wishes to mentor a Delaware school-aged child.

Four smiling children in blue shirts stand in the foreground with three women behind them in a classroom with cabinets and a hallway visible in the background.

Research shows that a strong mentoring relationship can be one of the most important relationships in a child’s development. Mentoring helps children achieve success in school and life by helping to build self-esteem, self-confidence, interpersonal communication skills, social values, aspirations, and school engagement. Through personal, one-on-one time in schools, mentors work with students to develop their unique qualities and to reach their full potential. (CG, 2018)

Check out this short video featuring one of our own mentor pairs at Towne Point Elementary in 2018!

Two stylized figures, one red and one blue, reach towards a golden star in the foreground, with the words %22Connecting Generations%22 above and %22Creative Mentoring® Seasons of Respect%22 below, all on a white background.

How can I be a mentor?

Do you have an hour a week and a desire to make a difference in the life of a child?

Are you:

Able to Connect with Youth
Compassionate
Open Minded
Responsible
Understanding

Then mentoring might be right for you!

There are 3 steps to becoming a mentor…

Step 1:
Complete a Mentor Application

Step 2:
Attend a training session.

Step 3:
Wait to be matched with a student in need.

You will note your preference of school, preferred student age, and your time availability to mentor when you complete your mentor application.

Still have questions?

Check out the Creative Mentoring website http://connecting-generations.org/creative-mentoring-delaware/ or call Connecting Generations directly at 302-656-2122.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does it really take only one hour per week to be a mentor?

Does it cost anything?

What if I have scheduling irregularities?

We work creatively with all who wish to serve the children. As long as you commit to at least a year, we can work to address this challenge. In fact, some mentors are retirees and military personnel who do experience more atypical travel or other schedule interruptions. In these instance, mentors always forewarn the mentee, teacher, and other staff. Mentors may sometimes double up on a visit here and there, use the time away to send their mentee a letter about the absence, or collect resources to share in a lesson with the mentee (and sometimes the whole class).

Nita M. Lowey 21st Century

A stylized red figure with arms outstretched reaches for a yellow star in the foreground, while the words %22Delaware 21st CCLC Soaring Beyond Expectations%22 encircle them against a white background.

About

About the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant

The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant is a competitive grant that provides federal funding to establish community learning centers that provide academic, artistic, and cultural enrichment opportunities for students and their families. These opportunities must occur during non-school hours or periods when school is not in session to help students meet state and local standards in core academic subjects. Centers must also offer students a broad array of activities that can complement their regular academic programs, to offer literacy and other educational services to their families.

The Nita M. Lowey 21st CCLC grant is authorized under Title IV, Part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (P.L. 107-110), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. The Nita M. Lowey 21st CCLC grant is administered by the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) and provides funding for the establishment of community learning centers to provide students with academic enrichment opportunities. Ancillary services for parents, such as literacy instruction, may also be given. Each Nina M. Lowey 21st CCLC Sub-Grantee may use the funds to carry out a broad array of before- and after-school activities, including those held during summer recess periods, to advance student achievement.

These activities include:

Remedial education activities and academic enrichment learning programs, including those that provide additional assistance to students to allow them to improve their academic achievement;
Mathematics and science education activities;
Arts and music education activities;
Entrepreneurial education programs;
Homework assistance;
Enrichment, Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math, STEAM;
Community Service Projects;
Tutoring services, including those provided by senior citizen volunteers, and mentoring programs;
Programs that provide after-school activities for limited English proficient, LEP, students and that emphasize language skills and academic achievement;
Recreational activities;
Telecommunications and technology education programs;
Expanded library service hours;
Field trip experiences;
Programs that promote parental involvement and family literacy;
Programs that provide assistance to students who have been truant, suspended, or expelled to allow them to improve their academic achievement;
Drug and violence prevention programs;
Counseling programs; and
Character education programs.

Quality after-school programs provide safe, engaging environments that motivate and inspire learning outside the regular school day. While there is no one single formula for success in afterschool programs, both practitioners and researchers have found that effective programs combine academic, enrichment, cultural, and recreational activities to guide learning and engage children and youth in wholesome activities. They also find that the best programs develop activities to meet the particular needs of the communities they serve.

Goals

Capital School District Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Goals:

Increase school attendance and increase academic achievement of participating students in one or more academic areas.
Increase school connectedness of participants, including families, caregivers, and school teachers and staff.
Increase the capacity of participants to become productive adults.

Locations

Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers

Booker T. Washington Elementary School

Central Elementary School

Hartly Elementary School

North Dover Elementary School

South Dover Elementary School

Middle School of Excellence

Cohort 22-03: Delaware 21st Century Community Learning Centers
School: Dover Middle School of Excellence
Initial Grant Year: 2024

This program provides engaging academic and enrichment programming with prevention and social/emotional wellness activities.

Site Coordinator Contact Information:
Natalie Way
Natalie.Way@capital.k12.de.us
302-674-6100

School of Excellence Principal:
Dr. Sherri Sudler
Sherri.Sudler@capital.k12.de.us

Middle School of Innovation

Cohort 21-01: Delaware 21st Century Community Learning Centers
School: Dover Middle School of Innovation
Initial Grant Year: 2023

This program provides engaging academic and enrichment programming with prevention and social/emotional wellness activities.

Site Coordinator Contact Information:
Natalie Way
Natalie.Way@capital.k12.de.us
302-674-6100

School of Innovation Principal:
Ryan Robinson
Ryan.Robinson@capital.k12.de.us

Dover High School

Cohort 22-02: Delaware 21st Century Community Learning Centers
School: Dover High School
Initial Grant Year: 2024

The program is a multifaceted resource and intervention for students. The daily program structure begins with academic support followed by an enrichment and recreation.

Site Coordinator Contact Information:
Brittney Smith
Brittney.Smith@capital.k12.de.us
302-241-2427

Principal:
Dr. Shawndell Solomon
Shawndell.Solomon@capital.k12.de.us

Capital School District Contact Persons

Dr. Ryan Fuller
Director of Secondary Instruction, Curriculum and Assessment
ryan.fuller@capital.k12.de.us
302-857-4234

Kristin Hargett
Administrative Assistant II, Secondary Instruction
kristin.hargett@capital.k12.de.us
302-857-4235

Delaware Department of Education

Delaware Department of Education Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Web Page

Spanish Immersion

Dual Language Spanish Immersion is a district-wide, K-12, lottery-enrolled program provided at Fairview Elementary School and South Dover Elementary School. During the 2018-2019 school year, the program expanded to grade 5 at William Henry Middle School, and in 2021-2022, it will expand to serve the initial cohort of students at Central Middle School.

The Spanish Immersion Program will continue through Dover High School with options for dual enrollment with participating colleges.

Students in the Spanish Immersion Program develop high levels of academic achievement in both their primary and secondary languages. The program supports the cultivation of cross-cultural competencies needed in a multicultural society. Immersion students access a rigorous, culturally inclusive education while gaining knowledge to become empowered agents of change in a global society.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Spanish Immersion Program?

The Spanish Immersion Program is a district-wide program based at Fairview Elementary School, South Dover Elementary School, and William Henry Middle School. Each site is structured using a traditional One-Way Immersion model, with most students speaking English as their native language.

In the Spanish Immersion Program, the focus is on building proficiency, which means being able to use the language. The program does not focus solely on teaching grammar. Instead, students learn academic content through a second language, and they learn a second language by encountering and using it in multiple meaningful contexts.

More than forty years of research consistently documents the power of immersion programs to help students attain high levels of second language proficiency. No other type of instruction, short of living in a second-language environment, is as successful. Young children especially thrive in this type of learning environment, where learning a new language comes as naturally as learning their first one.

What are the benefits of enrolling my student?

Students enrolled in the Spanish Immersion Program receive academic, cognitive, economic, and sociocultural benefits.

Academic benefits include:

Achieving high levels of language proficiency in the immersion language
Satisfying the World Language graduation requirement by the time students leave eighth grade
Performing as well as, or better than, their non-immersion peers on standardized tests of English and mathematics, based on research

Cognitive benefits include:

Developing greater cognitive flexibility
Demonstrating increased attention control
Developing better memory and superior problem-solving skills
Enhancing understanding of their native language

Economic benefits include:

Being better prepared for the global community and job markets where world language skills provide an economic advantage
Having the opportunity to complete college-level coursework in languages while still in high school

Sociocultural benefits include:

Becoming more aware of and showing a more positive attitude toward different cultures
Demonstrating a greater appreciation of people who have different cultural perspectives and practices

Who can participate in the Spanish Immersion Program?

The Spanish Immersion Program is open to all rising kindergarten students. Students will be selected based on the following guidelines:

Forty-eight students will be selected for each kindergarten Spanish Immersion Program at both Fairview Elementary School and South Dover Elementary School.
A minimum of 30 students will be selected from the school’s attendance area.
Up to 18 students will be selected through the School Choice process.
The cohort of students will generally reflect the demographics of Capital School District.
Students will be equitably chosen based on gender and ethnicity.
While the immersion program is open to all kindergarten students, academic screening will be used to determine students’ potential success in learning a second language and/or eligibility.

How are kindergarten students selected for the Spanish Immersion Program?

Parents of incoming kindergarten students are invited to attend an informational meeting held at each school immersion site in the winter or early spring. During this meeting, the Spanish Immersion Program is introduced.

Application information is available at the informational meeting, in the school offices, and at the district office.

If more students apply than the program can accommodate, a lottery is held for the available spots in the class.

How do I apply for a spot in the Spanish Immersion Program?

Students who do not live in the Capital School District or do not live in the attendance zone of the school they would like to attend must:

Register as rising kindergarten students at their home school
Complete an online School Choice application at http://www.schoolchoicede.org/ for either Fairview Elementary School or South Dover Elementary School and that school’s immersion program

Students who live in the attendance zone of the school they would like to attend must:

Register at their home school
Complete a Spanish Immersion Program Lottery Application, which can be found in the school’s main office

What does the lottery entail?

If more students apply than the Spanish Immersion Program can accommodate, the curriculum office will hold a student selection lottery during the first week of May.

The results will be forwarded to the Capital School District Board of Education for review at its May meeting, and parents will be notified shortly afterward.

Students will be formally accepted into the Spanish Immersion Program once their parents or guardians sign the Family Commitment Form. Parents and guardians who do not sign the commitment form will relinquish their child’s eligibility. The student will then be assigned to a typical kindergarten classroom and replaced with another student of similar demographics who expressed interest in the Spanish Immersion Program.

Students who are not selected through the lottery process will be placed on a waiting list.

What if my child is not selected for the Spanish Immersion Program?

Across the state, immersion programs are limited in number, and there are often more interested students than available openings.

While this is a wonderful opportunity for students to acquire a second language at an early age, the primary mission of Capital School District is to ensure a quality education for all students. All students in the district will have the opportunity to learn a second language beginning in seventh grade at Central Middle School.

Is this a gifted program?

Are students prescreened, or can anyone apply?

Will students with IEPs be considered in the selection process?

What courses are taught in Spanish and English?

On a typical day in the Spanish Immersion Program in grades K-5, half of the day is taught in Spanish and the other half is taught in English.

During the Spanish half of the day, students are taught:

Math, 45-60 minutes
Science and/or Social Studies, 45-60 minutes
Spanish literacy, 30-45 minutes

During the English half of the day, students are taught:

English Language Arts, 120 minutes
Math and Content Area Reinforcement in English, 20-30 minutes

What curricula are taught in the Spanish Immersion Program?

What happens when students in the Spanish Immersion Program reach middle school?

Who will be teaching in Spanish Immersion Program?

At each grade from kindergarten through grade 5, the Spanish Immersion Program consists of certified teachers, including a Spanish-speaking teacher and an English-speaking teacher.

Some Spanish-speaking teachers have been educated in local universities and have graduated with an elementary education and language degree. Others may be international guest teachers from other countries. These teachers have been hand-selected by their respective governments to come to Delaware to teach in our schools.

How is the Spanish Immersion Program funded?

The district funds the Spanish Immersion Program as it funds all classrooms, including paying the teacher’s salary and providing classroom space.

The Spanish Immersion Program receives the same funding for supplies, books, and other materials as other classrooms in the district.

The Delaware Department of Education provides additional funds yearly to each school with a Spanish Immersion Program. Currently, the amount is set at $10,000. These funds can be used to purchase textbooks, classroom supplies, or other curricular needs.

How much do parents have to pay to be in this program?

Is transportation provided for students in the Spanish Immersion Program?

Title One

The primary purpose of the Title I program is to assist students in increasing their academic achievement. Helping all struggling students become proficient is the goal of a school-wide Title I program.

If a child experiences reading or math difficulties based on assessment data, an intervention team will meet to plan appropriate intervention services to support the child. This support may be provided by the classroom teacher, a reading teacher, a math specialist, or an instructional paraprofessional.

All services will be coordinated and aligned with classroom instruction. The intervention team will meet regularly to determine student progress and adjust classroom instruction as needed. Student progress will also be communicated to parents on an ongoing basis.

Questions or Concerns

If you have questions or concerns regarding the Title I program or the services your child is receiving, please share these concerns with the classroom teacher first, and then the building principal.

If the concerns are not addressed at the building level, please contact the District Office.

Director of Elementary Instruction
302-857-4228

If concerns are not addressed at the district level, you may file a complaint with the Delaware Department of Education.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Title I?

What is the Purpose of Title I?

Title I, Part A: Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged

The program is designed to accomplish four primary goals:

Provide supplementary education to students eligible for services.
Provide additional funding to schools and districts serving high concentrations of children from low-income families.
Focus educators on the needs of special student populations.
Improve the academic achievement of students and reduce performance gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged students by assisting students in meeting high academic standards.

What Does the Structure of Title I Look Like in Capital School District?

he seven elementary schools are included in the grant and operate using a Title I school-wide program.

In a school-wide program, all federal, state, and local funds are consolidated to upgrade the entire educational program of the school. Each school is still required to establish a process for determining which students are at risk of not meeting the standards and must provide additional support and/or services for these students.

Schools focus on additional time and instructional interventions to close achievement gaps.

What is Funded with the Title I Grant?

The Title I grant, Part A, is distributed to all K-4 elementary schools in the Capital School District. A requirement for Title I is that 1% of the allocated funds be spent on parent involvement.

The grant is used to support parent involvement at both the school and district levels. Family Reading and Math Nights, Common Core Information Nights, the Capital Adult ESL-Family Literacy Program, and the Little Senators Bedtime Storytime program are all supported with Title I funds.

In terms of direct instructional intervention support for students, the grant pays for:

7 Literacy Coaches
8 Reading Teachers
3 Math Specialists
20 Part-Time Instructional Paraprofessionals

Providing additional intervention support is critical for student success.

Two district Curriculum Specialists are also funded using Title I funds. The Curriculum Specialists provide direct support to schools and deliver professional development and curriculum assistance as needed.

Instructional Materials

A wide range of instructional materials is purchased with the Title I grant. Some of the intervention materials used by Reading Support Teachers, Instructional Paraprofessionals, and classroom teachers include:

95% Group
System 44
Early Success
Soar to Success
Ready Readers
Quick Reads
Wonder Works

All intervention support is delivered in addition to regular classroom instruction.

Data Collection and Student Progress

Comprehensive data collection systems, including M-Class and Renaissance Learning, are purchased with Title I funds. These systems allow teachers to collect student assessment data using technology.

The data system can generate individual student reports, as well as classroom, grade-level, school-level, and district-level reports.

Student progress toward benchmarks is measured three times a year. For students who are not meeting the benchmark, progress is monitored either bi-monthly or weekly in order to better match student instructional needs.

Professional Development

The Title I grant supports professional development. Providing opportunities for professional growth for teachers is an integral component of the Title I grant.

Teacher training helps build the capacity to ensure gains in student achievement and support success toward meeting established goals.

Do Children Who Are Homeless Receive Title I Services?

Services

Multilingual Learners

Multilingual learners, or students who speak another language in addition to English at home, bring rich linguistic and cultural strengths to our schools. Capital School District is committed to building on these strengths while supporting students as they develop English proficiency and succeed across all academic areas.

Students are screened to determine how we can best support their English language development. Capital School District has specially trained teachers who work closely with classroom educators and families to design instruction that matches each student’s English proficiency level while honoring the knowledge and skills they bring from their home language or languages.

MLL services continue until students meet the state’s proficiency targets, as determined by the annual WIDA ACCESS test. Throughout their time in our schools, our goal is to ensure that multilingual learners have full access to high-quality instruction, meaningful participation in classroom learning, and the opportunity to grow as confident, capable multilingual individuals.

Multilingual Learner Program Contacts

MLL Program Coordinators

Jessica Lauver
MLL Program Coordinator

Jennifer Wilson O'Keefe
MLL Program Coordinator

Lead MLL Teachers by Location

South Elementary School

Shanika Teachey
Lead ML Teacher

Shemiah Pierce
Lead MLL Teacher

East Early Childhood Center and Fairview Early Childhood Center

Hayleigh Mitchell
Lead MLL Teacher

Sandra Dawson
Paraprofessional

North Elementary School and Towne Point Elementary School

Catrina Cosey
Lead MLL Teacher

Central Elementary School

Jonni Wolskee
Lead MLL Teacher

Allison Montano
Lead MLL Teacher
Also supports Hartly Elementary School.

Hartly Elementary School

Allison Montano
Lead MLL Teacher
Also supports Central Elementary School.

Booker T. Washington Elementary School

Erlande Amisial
Lead MLL Teacher

Dover High School

Altee McMillian
Lead MLL Teacher

Gifted and Talented

Gifted and Talented Services

Student placement in Gifted and Talented Services begins with universal screening for every student, followed by an identification process to determine whether gifted and talented services are necessary to meet a student’s cognitive and affective educational needs.

Specially designed instruction is provided to identified gifted learners to meet their individual cognitive and affective needs. The identification process is dynamic, completed over time, and includes multiple formal and informal measures gathered in a variety of settings. A matrix of student data is developed to inform the identification process.

Elementary Gifted Services

Age-appropriate gifted education services are designed beginning in grade two through opportunities in problem solving and project-based learning. These experiences are designed to uncover some of the unique needs of learners. Typically, the process for identifying students who may be gifted begins in grade two.

Identified gifted students in third and fourth grades may be recommended for participation in one of the following programs:

Accelerated Curriculum and Technology (ACT)
The Alternative Learning Program for High Achievers (ALPHA)

Alternative Learning Program for High Achievers

Students in ALPHA receive an accelerated academic program in a separate setting with a compacted general education curriculum in all content areas. Each student receives instruction at their appropriate level and at a pace designed to best meet individual needs.

Personalized enrichment and extension activities are also provided to broaden the curriculum and develop each gifted learner’s unique abilities.

Accelerated Curriculum and Technology

ACT activities are designed to provide appropriate levels of academic challenge in addition to general classroom instruction. Students who participate in ACT develop higher-level thinking and creativity skills enhanced with technology.

Students in ACT meet regularly in small groups to work on projects and activities.

Middle Grades Gifted and Talented Education

Middle grades Gifted and Talented Education, or GATE, services are provided using the grade-level curriculum with instruction that is specially designed to meet the needs of highly able learners.

Students in grades 5 through 8 who have been identified as gifted learners are grouped in classes with students who have similar educational needs for core academic classes, including English language arts and mathematics.

Instruction in GATE classes is provided by teachers who have been trained in lesson delivery specifically tailored to meeting the needs of gifted learners.

High School Opportunities

Dover High School offers accelerated academic, elective, and Advanced Placement courses designed to provide college-level rigor and credit opportunities. Participation is based on each student’s strengths and interests.

Advanced Placement course opportunities are also available in the arts.

Visual Performing Arts Gifted Program

Capital School District is proud of its comprehensive vision to serve all students, including those who require gifted services. To further meet the needs of students, the district provides K-12 opportunities in the visual and performing arts, as well as athletics.

The Visual Performing Arts Gifted, or VPAG, Program offered at Dover High School builds on related arts experiences that begin in kindergarten and provides exploration and increased opportunities for specialization through the grades.

Section 504 Plans

Section 504 is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Section 504 ensures that the child with a disability has equal access to an education. The child may receive accommodations and modifications.

The 504 plan is designed to provide accommodations or assistance to a student who qualifies as a person with a disability under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Such a plan is developed by a team of people knowledgeable about the student and his or her needs. The team includes the student (if appropriate), the student’s parents/guardian, and educational professionals. The plan specifies accommodations needed for the child in order to “level the playing field” and ensure access in the general education curriculum.

Accommodations and Modifications

Under Section 504, the child with a disability may receive accommodations and modifications that are not available to children who are not disabled. These accommodations and modifications are also available under IDEA.

Access vs. Educational Benefit

Change the facts to clarify the differences between these two laws. Assume that your special needs child is in a wheelchair. Under Section 504, your child shall not be discriminated against because of the disability. Your child shall be provided with access to an education, to and through the schoolhouse door. Modifications may be made to the building, and other accommodations may be made for your child.

Under Section 504 regulations, a free appropriate public education is defined as "the provision of regular or special education and related aids and services that . . . are designed to meet individual educational needs of persons with disabilities as adequately as the needs of persons without disabilities are met and . . . are based upon adherence to specified procedures." (34 C.F.R.§ 104.33(b)(1))

Now assume that your child in a wheelchair also has neurological problems that adversely affect the child's ability to learn. Under the IDEA, if your child has a disability that adversely affects educational performance, your child is entitled to an education that is designed to meet the child's unique needs and from which the child receives educational benefit. Section 504 includes no guarantee that your wheelchair-bound child will receive an education that provides educational benefits. Your Section 504 child has access to the same free appropriate public education that is available to children who are not disabled.

Discipline

If the Section 504 child misbehaves and the school decides the child's behavior is not a manifestation of the disability, the child can be expelled from school permanently. The IDEA child has the right to FAPE, even if expelled from school. Section 504 and ADA do not provide these protections.

Procedural Safeguards

Section 504 does not include a clearly established "Prior Written Notice" requirement. In contrast, IDEA includes an elaborate system of procedural safeguards designed to protect the child and parents. These safeguards include written notice before any change of placement and the right to an independent educational evaluation. Section 504 does not include these protections.

Eligibility

The child who has a disability or impairment does not automatically qualify for special education services under the IDEA. If the child has a disability but does not need special education services, the child will not qualify for special education and related services under the IDEA, but may receive protections under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

To be eligible for services and protection against discrimination on the basis of disability under Section 504, a student must be determined, as a result of an evaluation, to:

Have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities
Have a record of such an impairment, or
be regarded as having such an impairment [§104.3(j)]

Project SEARCH at Bayhealth

The Capital School District is proud to be the host to the first Project SEARCH partnership in Kent County.

Project SEARCH is a partnership between Capital School District’s Kent County Community School and Bayhealth along with several other state agencies and private groups that provides opportunities for disabled students to work through structured internships that lead to post school employment. The program boasts high rates of post school employment for its interns and represents the Capital School District’s commitment to producing great outcomes for all students.

According to its website: Project SEARCH was developed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, a research environment that fosters visionary thinking and innovation. It all began in 1996, when Erin Riehle was Director of Cincinnati Children’s Emergency Department. Erin felt that, because the hospital served individuals with developmental disabilities, it made sense that they should commit to hiring people in this group. She wondered if it would be possible to train people with developmental disabilities to fill some of the high- turnover, entry-level positions in her department, which involved complex and systematic tasks such as stocking supply cabinets. As a starting point, Erin presented her ideas to Susie Rutkowski, then the special education director at Great Oaks Career Campuses. Erin and Susie formed a partnership that was instantaneous, and together they launched Project SEARCH.

Since its inception, Project SEARCH has grown from a single program site at Cincinnati Children’s to a large and continuously expanding international network of sites. Project SEARCH’s primary objective is to secure competitive employment for people with disabilities.

Capital School District and Kent County Community School are honored to be partnered with such an amazing program in helping to fulfill the district’s mission of; “Educational excellence today for a changing tomorrow.”

For more information on Project SEARCH at Bayhealth as well as how to apply for an internship please click here.

Summer and After-School Programs

Capital School District offers a diverse program of after-school and summer programs to support student needs. We believe in Meeting the Needs of the Whole Child. In order to support our students we review their needs and provide related programs after school and during the summer. After school scheduling during the school year is based on the building schedule. Summer programming is based on student needs.

Summer School Programming Overview

Capital School District offers comprehensive Summer School programs designed to support academic growth, provide required services, and expand enrichment opportunities for students across grades K–12. Programming will run primarily from late June through early August, with most programs operating Monday through Thursday.

Core Programs Include:

21st Century Community Learning Centers (Grant-Funded):
Available at elementary, middle, and high school levels, these programs provide academic support in literacy, math, and science, along with enrichment experiences (STEM, career exploration, and extended learning opportunities).
Federally funded through Title IV, Part B with requirements for academic enrichment, attendance tracking, and alignment to student learning goals.
Extended School Year (ESY) & 12-Month Services (Required):
Provided for eligible students with IEPs to ensure continuity of learning and access to Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).
Required under IDEA; participation is determined by the IEP team based on student need.
Credit Recovery (High School):
Supports students in recovering course credit needed for graduation, including opportunities such as senior credit recovery and driver’s education.
Freedom School (Elementary):
A literacy-focused program that builds reading skills, student identity, and engagement through culturally responsive instruction and enrichment.
Additional Specialized Programming:
Includes middle school tutoring, KCCS programming, and targeted supports such as speech and transition-focused programs.

Program Priorities:

Strengthening Tier I instruction with a focus on literacy across content areas
Providing targeted academic interventions and credit attainment opportunities
Ensuring compliance with federal and state requirements (IDEA, Title IV, grant accountability)
Expanding enrichment and student engagement opportunities

For further information, contact your child's school directly or reach out to the Directors of Instruction - Cathy Schreiber for elementary at 302-857-4227, Dr. Ryan fuller for secondary at 302-857-4234, and Nicole Kurz-McDowell at 302-857-4239.

Programs and Services

Advancing Educational Excellence Through Innovation

Advancing Educational Excellence
Through Innovation