State Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran announced Aug. 30 that the Florida Department of Education had started to withhold funds from the Alachua and Broward County school districts in amounts equal to the monthly salaries of school board members who voted for student mask requirements.
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The Story Behind the Pipe Failure on Royal Palms Pkwy: What Went Wrong, How It’ll be Fixed, What to Expect
The pipe failure beneath Royal Palms Parkway that closed the busy east-west road on Sept. 16 and will keep it closed until near mid-October is an example of Palm Coast’s aging infrastructure, which sometimes outruns the city’s ongoing $75 million plan to reinforce, repair or replace it.
Stop Yelling. Have a Point: Advice for School Board Meeting Disrupters from Someone Who’s Been There.
In the wake of two turbulent school board meetings, Randall Bertrand was left wondering what all the sound and fury was about since many speakers’ loud and disruptive message was already made moot by school board votes or state policy.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, September 23, 2021
Weekend performances on stage kick-off with the final weekend of Neil Simon’s “Rumors” at the Flagler Playhouse, tonight at 7:30 p.m. Nixon’s Checkers speech at 69. Shock and awe and Trump’s hydroxychloroquine.
Evidence Shows That, Yes, Masks Prevent Covid, and Surgical Masks Are the Way To Go
The largest randomized controlled trial to date testing the effectiveness of mask-wearing provides gold-standard evidence that confirms previous research: Wearing masks, particularly surgical masks, prevents covid-19.
After Parents Object to ‘Equity’ and Race-Driven Balance, Rezoning Plan Now Limits Impact to Palm Coast’s R-Section
After facing a relatively small but angry group of parents who accused the district of wanting to balance school populations in part based on racial and socio-economic equity, the Flagler County school administration on Tuesday announced it was drastically scaling back what would have been a county-wide rezoning plan set for next year. The district is opting instead for rezoning that will affect only the two middle schools, the two high schools and the entirety of Palm Coast’s R-Section and parts of west Flagler, but none other.
Two Child Care Centers in Flagler Report Outbreak of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease
The Florida Department of Health in Flagler County has received reports of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease in two childcare centers in the community. The Health Department is not disclosing the names of the two child care centers, nor it clear for now whether they are large centers or home-based centers with a limited number of children.
Joseph Ladapo, Florida’s New Surgeon General, Signals Sharp Turn Away from CDC’s Covid Guidance
Florida’s new surgeon general is Dr. Joseph Ladapo, a UCLA heart specialist who has fully embraced Gov. Ron DeSantis’ approach to the covid-19 pandemic, which favors natural infections as a means of combating the pandemic and minimal state interference with parental discretion over masking, quarantining and vaccines.
Quarantining for Asymptomatic Students Is Now Optional as Florida Issues New Rules Further Limiting Safety Measures
Pointing to a need to “minimize the amount of time students are removed from in-person learning,” the Florida Department of Health on Wednesday issued a revised rule that gives parents more authority to decide whether children go to school after being exposed to people who have covid-19. The new rule replicates the same standard in effect for masking: it’s permissible, but only at parents’ discretion.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, September 22, 2021
The Palm Coast City Council holds its second and last public hearing to set next year’s property tax rate and budget. The county’s parks and recreation board meets. A few words from Sally Rooney.