Thrasher, 70, whose senate district includes all of Flagler County, has long been an influential figure in state politics and serves as chairman of Gov. Rick Scott’s re-election campaign. He served as House speaker from 1998 to 2000 and currently is chairman of the Senate Rules Committee.
Schools
Cell Phone’s GPS Coordinates, Court-Ordered to be Revealed, Lead to 2nd Arrest in School Bus Thefts
As Myron Vanzel Brown, 39, of Jacksonville, made calls before and after the two Flagler buses were stolen from the FPC bus depot, each call registered Brown’s precise location–in the vicinity of the school, then on the road back to Jacksonville. The phone records were key evidence in his arrest.
PERT: Why Flagler Students Are Forced to Take the Stupidest Test You’ve Never Heard Of
Why are a slew of high achievers at Matanzas High School and FPC who have already succeeded in various courses having to take the so-called Post Secondary Educational Readiness Test on top of all other tests? How many unnecessary, time-consuming tests are we going to continue to subject our students to?
Synchro Belles’ Winter Training In Question as School Board Redraws Adult Education Map
Major changes are on the way for Flagler County’s adult and community education programs, which have been plagued by issues—many of which beyond its control—that have hurt its bottom line, starting with Flagler Technical Institute classes moving to Matanzas and Palm Coast High School and winter pool heating at Belle Terre Swim Club ended.
In a Surprise Stop at Belle Terre Elementary, Education Commissioner Names Jill Espinosa Florida Teacher of the Year Finalist
Education Commissioner Pam Stewart revealed this morning in Flagler that Belle Terre Elementary kindergarten teacher Jill Espinosa, the current Flagler County Teacher of the Year, is one of the five finalists for the state Teacher of the Year honor, to be announced in July. Espinosa was awarded $5,000 in a surprise ceremony today attended by two superintendents, the school board and all district administrators as well as the commissioner.
Voucher Scams: Floridians Should Be Fighting the Privatization of Public Schools
We’re decades into a war waged by shadowy business interests and religious groups, working through “cooperative” legislators and governors to gradually undermine most of the state’s public schools and ultimately privatize them, argues Daniel Tilson.
5 Teens, Most of Them Students at Matanzas, Arrested Over Vandalism at Indian Trails Middle School
The evening of May 3, seven teenagers, most of the students at Matanzas and Palm Coast high school, broke into Indian Trails Middle School, trashed a bathroom, entered the office of a coach and stole loose change, all the while laughing and capturing their acts with their phone videos. Two of the teens had been arrested in march in connection with the robbery of a pizza delivery woman in Palm Coast.
Turned Down for a Job Outside the Classroom, a Teacher Rediscovers Her Mission
It’s a sad notion that administrators, school boards, human resources offices and so-called reformists have unfortunately inculcated in teachers over the years, this idea that if you want to be successful or be taken seriously, or make any sort of impact, that you must stop teaching to do so.
As Florida House Opens Schools to Guns, Lawmaker Declares Gun-Free Zones “The Most Dangerous Places in America”
In a debate that showed sharp divisions about how best to protect children and teachers, the Florida House on Monday approved a bill, 71-44, that could lead to some public-school employees or volunteers carrying guns on campus.
Matanzas High School Junior Kathryn Perez Named Runner-Up in New York Times Editorial Writing Contest
Kathryn Perez, a witty, self-assured 16-year-old junior who started writing when she was about 5, caught the attention of the New York Times judges with a counterintuitive editorial celebrating Barbie’s feminist virtues.