Superintendents expressed frustration with the state’s teacher evaluation law during a meeting with Gov. Rick Scott a day after teachers filed suit in federal court to overturn the law, Scott himself endorsed trying to fix the provision attacked by the lawsuit, but lawmakers must carry out the fix.
Schools
From Truancy to Criminal Charge: Flagler Schools Take Parent to Court Over Child’s Absences
When Andre Darby failed to enroll his son at Rymfire Elementary or show proof that he was being homeschooled, the Flagler school district turned the case over to the state attorney for prosecution, an extreme example of cases when parents violate Florida’s truancy laws. Darby faces a second-degree misdemeanor charge, which may end in a plea before Circuit Judge J. David Walsh Thursday.
Sue McVeigh Is a State Finalist for Employee Of the Year, a First for Flagler School District
For the first time ever, the Flagler County school district has a finalist for the state-wide Employee of the Year award. Sue McVeigh, an exceptional education specialist, will travel to Legoland on May 17 to the final award banquet.
Jamesine Fischer Is Sentenced to 25 Months in Prison for Hit-and-Run Death of Pecqueur
Jamesine Fischer, the 56-year-old wife of Flagler School Board member John Fischer, will serve at least 21 months in a Florida state prison following her sentencing Wednesday for the hit-and-run death of Francoise Pecqueur, 76, in Palm Coast in November 2011.
2 Children Hurt in Bus-Stop Hit-and-Run; SUV Flips on US1, Injuring a Woman
A first-grader and a kindergardener were hurt when an SUV pulling a trailer struck them at their F-Section bus stop at 8:16 a.m. Almost at the same time, Danielle Bazard of Palm Coast was ejected when her SUV flipped on US1 at CR304.
Feedback Failures: When Flashing a Grade Devalues Students and Teachers
JoAnn Nahirny views giving feedback to students as one of the most valuable and important things she does as a teacher. Too bad FCAT graders don’t do likewise. Nor does the teacher evaluation process.
Should Teachers Be Able to Spy on Students’ Study Habits?
An electronic-textbook company called CourseSmart lets teachers track whether and how their students are reading assigned textbooks, allowing them to tack on “engagement index” scores to the students’ performance. It’s the latest form of intrusion in private habits driven more by marketing and gimmickry than good intentions.
Listen Up Kids: Forget What Your Parents Say. You Should Be Playing Video Games
Alessandra Robinson, a first-place winner among Wadsworth Elementary fifth graders for this speech in this year’s Tropicana competition, argues that video games promote family time, exercise, creativity, problem solving, and better reflexes, and should therefore be encouraged for all.
Florida’s Early Learning, Once a Strength, Being Revamped to Look More Like Day Care
Specific benchmarks, along with language expressing the importance of readiness programs, are removed from a proposed committee bill that emerged Thursday in Tallahassee, removing an emphasis on learning and readiness for school.
Charter-School Trigger Bill Passes House 68-51; Flagler’s Hutson Among Dissenters
Rep. Travis Hutson was among the Republicans crossing party lines to oppose the bill, favered by the charter-school movement, as it would let parents petition their school district to consider a turnaround option for a school that receives an “F” on the state report card for two consecutive years.