The emergence of those anti-masking voices, while restricted to a very small but shrill handful, points to the sort of ideological talking points the board may have to contend with over the next weeks or months, which would be a distraction from the more pragmatic and busy agenda set out by Mittelstadt and the board.
Flagler County School Board
Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club Will ‘Look Different,’ Superintendent Cautions, Its Funding Model in Question
Flagler School Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt today prepared the school board for difficult decisions about the district-owned and district-run Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club, where deficits are making the funding model unsustainable, and changes likely scaling back the operation–or bringing in different partners–may be ahead.
The Fabricated Fear of Transgender Athletes in High School Sports
Randall Bertrand, who led last year’s campaign to add “gender identity” to the Flagler school board’s protections against discrimination, lays out a case against the Legislature’s baseless fear-mongering over transgender participation in high school sports.
Flagler District Enables Parents to Track Children’s School Bus in Real Time Through App
The app is designed to improve safety and peace of mind for students and parents, reducing unnecessary wait times at bus stops, which have been and continue to be the site of accidents involving children and vehicles across the country.
Should School Board Members Be Paid $35,000 a Year? Voters May Decide in 2022.
After debating whether county school board members should be paid, and if ending salaries would threaten diversity on the boards, a House panel took a first step toward letting voters decide the issue in 2022.
Sharply Rebuking More McDonald Falsehoods, School Board Says No Mask-Rule Changes This Year
School Board member Janet McDonald was again the outlier on Tuesday as she pressed for a relaxation of mask rules while repeating falsehoods about masks and vaccines. Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt took her strongest stand yet, saying the district would not alter its current covid-safety protocols. A majority of the school board agreed.
School Board Will Not Sell the County 20 Acres of Pristine Hammock Land It’s Owned Since 1984
Flagler County government’s Environmentally Sensitive Lands program began showing interest in the district’s 20 acres on the Intracoastal around the same time that a flood-control issue had arisen at nearby Pamela Parkway, involving residents there.
Janet McDonald Again Hawks False and ‘Dangerous’ Claims About Masks and Vaccines at School Board Meeting
Calling for rejecting “outside” guidelines on the pandemic, Janet McDonald said communities with mask-wearing have more virus transmission than those without and claimed the covid-19 vaccine “is not a vaccine.” She spoke at a school board workshop, and offered no evidence.
Belle Terre Swim Club, in Deficit, is Not Closing Yet. But the School Board Needs Help Keeping It Open.
School board members don’t want to close the facility. But for the second time in six years, the club is in deficit and the district is using dollars designed to run its K-12 operations to keep it afloat, though the club is used primarily by adults. That’s not a tenable situation.
Senate Panel Signs Off on Vast Expansion of Use of Tax Dollars for Private Schools
The measure (SB 48), filed by Republican Sen. Manny Diaz of Hialeah, would expand eligibility for school-voucher programs and allow parents to use taxpayer-backed education savings accounts for private schools and other costs.
Even With Remote Option, Enrollment in Flagler’s 9 Traditional Schools Is at Lowest Level Since 2005
With Flagler schools reflecting some decline, Florida legislators and local education officials are trying to pinpoint what happened to nearly 90,000 “missing” public school students across the state, as public school enrollment estimates have dropped amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gardens Development Agreement to Pay $719,000 to Offset School Overcrowding Raises ‘Worrisome’ Questions of Accuracy
Calling it “worrisome” and “nebulous,” Flagler County School Board members said today they are not ready to sign off on an agreement with the planned 335-home Gardens development on John Anderson Highway that would offset projected overcrowding costs in the district’s schools.
TR, as FPC Principal Tom Russell Was Known to Most, Is Celebrated as Learner, Leader, Tweeter and Jovial, Heroic Dad
James Tom Russell, who died on Dec. 9 after leading Flagler Palm Coast High School for just a year and a half after a long career in leadership of Volusia County schools, was celebrated at a memorial at Jackie Robinson Stadium Friday evening with broad-ranging affection and admiration.
On Eve of Tom Russell Memorial, School Board’s McDonald Downplays Covid Deaths and Calls for ‘Backing Off This Fear’ of Virus
Flagler County School Board member Janet McDonald falsely claimed at a workshop that overall deaths are down this year, that masks are harmful, testing unreliable, and that the district should focus on “wellness” rather than additionally “ramp-up” safety measures. She did so days from the memorial for Tom Russell, the FPC principal who died of complications from Covid.
Flagler Schools Will Replace Most Covid-Positive Alert Letters With Web-Based Dashboard Updated Daily
A new dashboard tracking positive Covid cases throughout the school district will go live Jan. 4. Parents and others have grown increasingly jaded with the Flagler school district’s drizzle of notification letters whenever positive Covid cases are confirmed.
Trevor Tucker, in Remarkable Shift, Provides 3-2 Majority to Add ‘Gender Identity’ to Long-Sought School Protections
The Flagler County School Board this evening reversed its April vote and added “gender identity” to its anti-discrimination policy, ending a year-long and at times controversial and embittered debate over the identity and rights of LGBTQ students.
Tom Russell, Flagler Palm Coast High School Principal, Dies of Covid Complications, Leaving ‘Legacy of Kindness and Decency’
James Tom Russell, Flagler Palm Coast High School’s principal since 2019 and a former superintendent in Volusia County, where he built a 30-year career in education, died today of complications from covid-19. Russell had been diagnosed with Covid-19 on Nov. 16 and more recently was hospitalized.
Calmer Swearings-In at County and School Board; Mullins Will Not Be Commission Chairman This Year
The Flagler County School Board and the Flagler County Commission held swearing-in ceremonies for a combined six new and re-elected members. Donald O’Brien was named chairman of the commission, Trevor Tucker chairman of the school board.
Bobby Bossardet Replaces Earl Johnson at School District’s Leadership Post Closest to Superintendent
Buddy Taylor Middle School Principal Bobby Bossardet replaces Earl Johnson, who was shifted to a different administrative position previously held by Lynette Shott. Johnson, one of the few Black administrators in the district, has been looking to leave since getting passed over for superintendent earlier this year.
FPC and Matanzas Face Off Sept. 18 on Gridiron as Fall Sports Return and Uncertainty Outnumbers Fans
Attendance at FPC will be limited to 640 people in the stands, or about 13 percent of the stadium’s capacity of 5,000. No tickets will be sold at the gate, no interactions between fans and athletes will be allowed.
Flagler Sees 3 More Covid Deaths, New Spike in Cases and Hospitalizations; 14 Cases at Old Kings Elementary
There’s been 184 new cases in the last 14 days alone in Flagler, and 28 positive cases in the Flagler County school district through today since school reopened on Aug. 24, half of them at Old Kings Elementary, as a renewed spike has the local health department chief concerned.
State Puts Gag Order on Flagler Health Department’s Public Release of Covid Numbers in Schools
The state’s gag order falls as the Flagler health department was preparing to issue a weekly reports of cases in schools, and as a drizzle of covid cases continues to affect Flagler schools, with a few classrooms, individual faculty and students required to quarantine. The district intends to issue some of the information.
Calling Current Schooling ‘Not Sustainable,’ 100 Teachers at FPC Plead for Altered Instruction on Fridays
Reflecting intense concern and frustration with current teaching requirements that blend in-person and distance learning, Flagler teachers submitted a plan to the school bard to turn Fridays into planning and focused study days as opposed to direct instruction days.
On 1st Day of School in Flagler, Excitement Balanced by Apprehension, and Far Fewer Students Enrolled
Fewer than half the district’s students took seats in actual classrooms and 10,000 attended one of Flagler schools’ three options overall, a 23 percent decline from the district’s usual enrollment. If there was a measure of excitement about being back, there was also apprehension, uncertainty, many unanswered questions.
Teachers’ Lawsuit: Judge Weighs Whether Schools Are ‘Simply Not Ready to Reopen’
As thousands of children return to classrooms throughout Florida, local school officials, teachers and doctors spent Wednesday picking apart a state mandate requiring schools to resume in-person instruction this month amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Flagler Schools Will Start Fall Sports on Sept. 5
The Flagler County school district today announced it will start fall sports on Sept. 5, two weeks after the start of the fall semester. The district had postponed all fall sports indefinitely on July 22 as covid-19 cases were still surging in the county.
Conklin, Massaro and Woolbright Win School Board, Sullivan Survives, and Finally, It’ll Be Judge Alicia Washington To You
Jill Woolbright and Cheryl Massaro won seats on the Flagler County School Board, and Colleen Conklin, at 20 years the longest serving elected official in the county, won her sixth term. Dave Sullivan won reelection to the County Commission. But the Palm Coast City Council is still very much in flux.
Nine Covid Cases Involving Flagler School Staffers So Far in August; Commissioner Downplays Outbreaks
Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran wants superintendents check with the state before shutting down a classroom or school and to be “very surgical, not sweeping” when responding to coronavirus cases.
Flagler Schools’ Sophie’s Choice
Flagler County and Florida schools are reopening not because it’s safe, but because ideological debauchery or anti-science vigilantism are forcing them to, even though alternatives are in place for safe and effective education.
With Fall Sports Postponed for Now, Flagler Schools Face Mix of Uncertainty and Lack of State Guidance
Football players, swimmers, runners, golfers and other student-athletes who normally would be gearing up for a season they’ve worked years for are now faced with an uncertain future.
Behind Façade of Flagler Schools as ‘Family,’ Bitter Discontent from Teachers, and Orders Not to Open Windows
Teachers returned to Flagler’s nine public schools today amid bitter disputes over their safety and options while the district contends with innumerable and at times competing concerns, with somewhat diminished ranks and no additional resources to make it all stick. It’s going to be a difficult year.
School District Will Limit Information on Its Covid Cases Even as Flagler Children Have 17% Positivity Rate Since Mid-July
Citing privacy, the Flagler County School District is limiting the information it releases about covid cases among its employees or students even as the proportion of positive cases among children is growing rapidly and schools are set to reopen on Aug. 24.
Carol Bacha (Mother Elizabeth), Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Carol Bacha, also known as Mother Elizabeth, is one of eight candidates in three races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 18 primary election. Bacha is running in District 3 against Paul Mucciolo and incumbent Colleen Conklin.
St. Johns Schools Discriminated Against Transgender Student, Appeals Court Rules in Case with Local Implications
On the heels of months of debate over Flagler schools’ stance on transgender students, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that the St. Johns County school district discriminated against a transgender high school student by denying him the right to use the boys’ bathroom.
Colleen Conklin, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Colleen Conklin is one of eight candidates in three races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 18 primary election. Conklin, a five-term incumbent, is running in District 3 against Paul Mucciolo and Carol (Sister Elizabeth) Bacha.
Paul Mucciolo, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Paul Mucciolo is one of eight candidates in three races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 18 primary election. Mucciolo is running in District 3 against incumbent Colleen Conklin and Carol Bacha, also known as Mother Elizabeth.
37% of Flagler Students Opt for Online Instruction; School Board Clashes Over Meaning of Covid ‘Data’
While facing some public and employee anxieties the Flagler school district is moving ahead with reopening, though key criteria such as when a school or in-person instruction would be shut down from a covid outbreak remain a mystery, raising further questions.
Vincent Lyon, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Vincent Lyon is one of eight candidates in three races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 18 primary election. Lyon is running in District 1 against Jill Woolbright.
Jill Woolbright, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Jill Woolbright is one of eight candidates in three races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 18 primary election. Woolbright is running in District 1 against Vincent Lyon.
Cheryl Massaro, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Cheryl Massaro is one of eight candidates in three races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 18 primary election. Massaro is running in District 5 against first-term incumbent Maria Barbosa.
Maria Barbosa, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Maria Barbosa is one of eight candidates in three races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 18 primary election. Barbosa is running in District 5 against Cheryl Massaro.
Florida Pediatricians Say Districts With Positivity Rate Higher Than 5% Must Delay Opening
Florida pediatricians Wednesday released recommendations aimed at reducing risks to children and teachers, saying the benefits of reopening schools will not outweigh the health risks in many areas for the next four to six weeks.
School Board Approves 2-Week Delay and Revised Calendar, But McDonald Again Peddles Bogus Claims
The special meeting ended in a whirl of unanswered questions about the threshold that would trigger more delays or remote-only instruction, and in yet more outright false information spoken by Chairman Janet McDonald, who cited as factual bogus claims in a viral video that’s been banned from Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Board Set to Approve Flagler Schools Calendar With Shorter Thanksgiving, Winter and Spring Breaks
Flagler County public school students may be enjoying an extra two weeks of summer, but a proposed revised calendar will have them make up every lost day through shorter Thanksgiving, winter and spring breaks. Faculty members are losing teacher work days.
Flagler School Board Supports Pushing Back Opening to Aug. 24; Up to 40% May Opt for Remote Learning
The Flagler School Board supports its superintendent’s request to delay school’s opening to Aug. 28 for students, and at least to Aug. 10 for faculty, to give staff more time to prepare for a radically different school-campus landscape that may be missing up to 40 percent of in-person students.
6th Covid Death in Flagler; Florida’s Fatalities Surge and Cases Exceed 300,000; School District Announces Remote Option
Flagler County is coming to terms with a situation more serious than some officials–more particularly, a few county elected officials–have acknowledged, with the school district on Tuesday announcing what amounts to a return to remote instruction for all those who want it come Aug. 10.
15,300 News Cases in Florida Exceed New York’s High; Flagler Sets New Record; Schools Prepare to Open
Flagler County set a single-week record of 104 cases with a positivity rate of 10 percent as Florida shattered all single-day records across the nation, yet the Flagler school district is preparing to resume in-person classes on Aug. 10, along with most districts across the state.
Schools, Do Not Play Russian Roulette with Our Lives
We should not reopen schools until the county where the district is located reports zero new Coronavirus cases for two weeks. That would be taking safety seriously, argues teacher and author Steven Singer. It shouldn’t be too much to ask because other countries have been able to do such things.
28% of Flagler Parents Plan for Their Children to Attend Online Classes Only as State Orders Schools to Reopen
Flagler schools will offer two options: in-person instruction or online instruction through iFlagler. School prin cipals and faculty are contacting parents and students to find out what track they’re choosing.
In Major Coup for Palm Coast, UNF in Town Center Is a Go as MedNex Initiative Survives Veto
The University of North Florida’s plan to build a satellite presence in Palm Coast’s Town Center as a feeder of health care practitioners to regional hospitals and clinics is a go as the $24 million dollar MedNex initiative survived Gov. Ron DeSantis’s veto pen today.
