UPDATE: Indian River School District Referendum #2 Defeated

  UPDATE– 6/05/25: The Indian River School District’s current expense referendum was defeated by district residents on Thursday, June 5, 2025. The unofficial vote totals, according to the District are as follows:   FOR: 5,700 AGAINST: 6,766 Statement from Indian River School District Superintendent Dr. Jay Owens: “With the defeat of the referendum, IRSD’s administration and Board…

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School Board Results

School board results – Indian River – District 1 winners Lisa Hudson Briggs & Kelly Kline Woodbridge – At-large (1 year term) – winner – Timothy Banks Cape Henlopen – Area C – Patty Maull At-large – Bill Collick

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Public Meetings on Indian River School District Referendum #2 Begin Wednesday

The second Indian River School District referendum is set for Thursday, June 5. This is a current expense referendum – and seeks funding for increased operating costs and to maintain a competitive salary package for staff. There will be three public meetings where district officials will give a presentation outlining the referendum initiative. The public…

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School Board Elections Tuesday, May 13 in Delaware

School Board Elections take place in Delaware statewide Tuesday, May 13th.  In Sussex County, not every school district will have an election.  There are elections in the Cape Henlopen, Indian River and Woodbridge School Districts.  In the Cape Henlopen School District there are three candidates for the Area C seat – Laura Parsons, Andy Lewis…

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IRSD Moves Last Day of School to June 11

During the last regular meeting, the Indian River School District approved several changes to the school district calendar – including a change in the last day of school for students in grades K through 11 – which is now Wednesday, June 11. This is 2 days earlier than originally scheduled because of unused surplus hours…

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Indian River School District Returning with 2nd Referendum on June 5th

Indian River School District will host a second current expense referendum on Thursday, June 5. The District seeks funding in the amount of $22.5-million for increased operating costs and to maintain a competitive salary package. The polls will be open on June 5th from 7am to 8pm at multiple polling locations throughout the district –…

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IRSD School Choice Application Period in DE Opens Mon, November 4

The 2025-2026 school choice application period will open on Monday, November 4th through January 8th. All Indian River School District school choice applications must be submitted online – and the system offers options for both English and Spanish. Additional information from IRSD: All Indian River School District school choice applications must be submitted online at schoolchoicede.org. …

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Frankford School Bus Aide Arrested for Child Abuse

Delaware State Police have arrested an 80-year-old Frankford woman for child abuse after an incident on a school bus. On September 23rd, the Indian River School District notified State Police about the incident that occurred between the woman–a school bus aide and a student. Detectives learned that on September 16th, a bus contracted for the…

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Open Houses Set for Indian River School District

There will be a series of open houses this month and in September for the Indian River School District. These open houses will allow students and parents to meet teachers and staff, view class lists and tour school buildings. The school year begins on Tuesday, September 3rd for students in grades K, 6 and 9…

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UPDATED: DE School Board Election Results

UPDATED – 05/14/24 – School Board elections were held throughout Delaware on Tuesday. In Sussex County, three districts had contested races – all for 4-year terms. County Election Director Bo McDowell tells the Talk of Delmarva that voter turnout was very low. He said there was a bad internet connection at the polling location at…

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Deborah Treherne – IRSD Teacher of the Year

The Indian River School District Teacher of the Year for 2024-2025 is Deborah Treherne of the Howard T. Ennis School. Treherne was chosen from a pool of 15 candidates – one from each school and the announcement was made Thursday during the district’s annual Teacher of the Year ceremony. She is now eligible for the…

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UPDATED: Dr. Bradley Layfield’s Proposed Termination Hearing is Now Closed

sussexcentralhs

UPDATED – 03/04/24 – The February 15th administrative hearing for suspended principal of Sussex Central High School, Dr. Bradley Layfield, is now closed. All evidence in Layfield’s case has now been argued and the case submitted today to retired Superior Court Judge William Carpenter. Layfield’s attorney, Thomas Neuberger, says the 22,500 word closing argument exhaustively…

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IRSD Schools Closed on Thurs, Dec 21 for Election

Indian River School District Schools will be closed on Thursday, December 21st because of the 37th House District special election. State law requires public schools to be closed if they are being utilized as polling locations for state elections. All district employees should not report to work, with the exception of custodial staff designated to…

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UPDATED: Sussex Central HS Principal Fired by Indian River School District

Over the weekend, Sussex Central High School principal, Dr. Bradley Layfield, was fired by the District School Board. Layfield’s attorney, Thomas Neuberger says that the notice came in written form on Saturday. This incident began in May when the Indian River School District announced that ‘some staff’ had been placed on administrative leave. This, in…

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Two IRSD Schools Receive State Recognition Honors

Two Indian River School District schools have been named Delaware Recognition Schools for 2023. Phillip C. Showell Elementary in Selbyville was honored for Exceptional Student Performance while North Georgetown Elementary was a winner for Excellence in Serving Special Populations. They are two of 16 Delaware schools to receive Recognition School honors. Each school will receive…

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Indian River School District Awarded Reimagining Professional Learning Grant

The Indian River School District has been awarded Delaware’s prestigious Reimagining Professional Learning Grant. The math content specialists behind this achievement were: • James Wheatley, Secondary Math Specialist; • Carla Costa, Instructional Coach; and • Jilian Whaley, Elementary Math Specialist. The IRSD is proud of their math content specialists and the entire educational community for…

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Meal Prices Unchanged for Indian River School District Students

School begins Tuesday in the Indian River School District and District officials say the cost of student breakfast and lunch will remain the same this school year. This is the 19th consecutive year without an increase is meal prices. Breakfast for all grade levels remains at 60 cents. Elementary school lunch is $1 and middle…

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UPDATED: Dr Judith Brittingham named Acting Principal at Sussex Central HS

UPDATED – 8/20/23 – After last week’s Indian River School Board meeting, District Superintendent Dr. Jay Owens announced some changes at Sussex Central High School. Effective immediately – Dr. Judith Brittingham has been approved as the Acting Principal at Central and Dr Tara Thoroughgood has been named the district’s Acting Director of Special Education. Owens…

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