Hurricane Dorian: an archival record of the storm’s path day by day as it impacted Flagler County and Palm Coast, with sequenced National Hurricane Center maps of the cone of uncertainty.
Schools
See Something, Say Something? 3 Flagler School Board Members Say Not If It’s Cancer.
Opposition to the Flagler Health Department’s proposal to offer the HPV vaccine in schools is driven by three board members echoing the rhetoric of vaccine denialism though various irrational pretexts.
Flagler Health Department Chief Calls School Board Member ‘Anti-Science’ in Vaccine Clash
Flagler Health Department Administrator Robert Snyder in a live show on WNZF today accused School Board member Maria Barbosa of being “anti-science” and “anti-vaccines,” in a discussion on making the HPV vaccine available to students in schools.
Just 9 Days Into New School Year, FPC Student, 14, Faces Felony For Threats to Kill
The boy allegedly made the threats to kill in voice and text exchanges with another boy, 13, over Instagram on Thursday. Both were at home. No threats were directed toward any school.
Flagler Schools Quietly Dropped Controversial “Social Sentinel” Surveillance to Pilot More Targeted Alert System
The Flagler school district dropped the $18,000-a-year Social Sentinel surveillance system in April and replaced it with an entirely different approach, called CrisisGo, a crisis-management system accessible to faculty, staff and students.
Christian Prayer at Flagler School Board Breaks 5-Decade Precedent, Without Most Board Members’ Consent
School Board Chair Janet McDonald’s decision to start Tuesday’s meeting with a prayer by a pastor had not been approved by the board nor placed on the agenda, a violation of board procedures and a break with a nearly 50-year precedent.
Divided School Board Stops Short of Killing Voluntary HPV Vaccine to 6th Graders
The Flagler Health Department wants to offer free, voluntary HPV vaccines to 6th graders in Flagler schools, but three school board members are unwilling to agree without first seeing whether enough parents want the offer.
Stop Criminalizing Children in the Name of School Security
The rash of zero-tolerance felony arrests of children that the Flagler school district experienced last year unjustly makes examples of adolescents in the name of a security establishment focusing on the wrong threats across the state.
Lead in Water at ‘Maybe Double’ Allowable Rate Detected at Wadsworth and Bunnell Elementaries
Lead levels at twice the allowable rate were detected in two water fountains tested earlier this month and again at the beginning of the week at Wadsworth Elementary and Bunnell Elementary.
State Safety Panel Berates “Non-Compliance” With Armed Presence in Some Schools
A state school-safety commission meeting got heated Wednesday as members tackled a range of issues stemming from a controversial school “guardian” program, while one panelist recommended allowing Florida pre-schools to have armed security.
Flagler School District Gets 2 Subpoenas from Statewide Grand Jury, But Considers Itself
In Compliance With Safety Rules
The subpoenas focus on the district’s contract with the sheriff for school deputies, the charter school’s compliance with security requirements, and documents about security-measure financing.
Heat Index of Up to 110 Prompts Advisories–and AC Policy Change on Flagler School Buses
With heat indexes routinely reaching past 100 and reaching 110 on occasion, emergency management is cautioning against heat exhaustion and the Flagler school district is relaxing AC and water rules on school buses.
Judge Rejects Teachers’ Claim That Education Law Violates Collective Bargaining Rights
Unions argued a 2018 requirement violated collective-bargaining rights and equal-protection rights as the requirements did not apply to other public-sector unions.
State Rules May Ease Path to Mental Health Counselors’ Qualifications and Toughen Charter School Security
With the start of a new school year just around the corner, Florida officials are eyeing policy changes that would expand the number of mental health professionals in schools and ensure that charter schools are meeting safety requirements.
For Parents’ Peace of Mind, It’s Time for Video and Audio Monitoring of Flagler’s Special Education Classrooms
An incident at Belle Terre Elementary School last school-year illustrates the need for more objective, independent oversight of what goes on in special education classrooms, where students may not have a voice of their own.
School Board’s Next Superintendent Hire Will Include Familiar Consultant and Community Panel
The Flagler County School Board took its first steps Tuesday in what will likely be an eight to nine-month process of replacing Superintendent Jim Tager–and the board’s third search in in five years.
Fund-Raiser for Teens-in-Flight, the Flagler Non-Profit That Keeps Churning Out Young Pilots
Teens-In-Flight, the flight school created by Col. Jack Howell, holds its second annual “Hangar Party” fund-raiser Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Palm Coast Elks Lodge, hoping to draw 165 people and raise $35,000.
School Supplies Sales Tax Holiday Through Tuesday, Back To School Jam Saturday at FPC
The 2019 back-to-school sales tax suspension, or holiday, began at a minute after midnight today (Aug. 2) and runs through Tuesday, Aug. 6. The Flagler County district’s annual Back to School Jam is on Saturday at Flagler Palm Coast High School, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Reprimands Follow District Investigation of Allegations of Inappropriate Treatment of Autistic Child at Belle Terre
The parent of a non-verbal autistic 4th grader at Belle Terre Elementary had recorded staffers over several hours without their knowledge, and filed a complaint that led to a local and state investigation.
Wrestling With New Polling Rules, Flagler District May Close Schools on Both Primary and General Election Days
The Flagler school district may no longer ban campaign workers from soliciting voters on school-based polling places, as it did in the last election, prompting a safety-based consideration of closing all schools on all election days.
As Hate Incidents Rise, Florida and Other States Increasingly Require Teaching the Holocaust
Ignorance about the Holocaust is growing, particularly among young people. A survey last year showed that two-thirds of U.S. millennials were not familiar with Auschwitz, the largest Nazi death camp complex.
Schools Will Have To Teach Minimum of 5 Hours of Annual Mental Health Instruction in Grades 6-12
The five-hour minimum will be included in curriculums for grades 6-12, but it remains unclear if the classes will begin in the upcoming academic year. The policy finalized Wednesday does not include an implementation date.
The Scam Behind McDonald’s ‘McTeacher’s Nights’
The fast food giant pioneered methods of attracting school children to its stores — from Happy Meals to marketing schemes like McTeacher’s Nights, an exploitative fund-raiser that takes advantage of teachers for very little in return.
School Board Chair Aims for Broad Search for Next Superintendent, Seeing No ‘Heart’ in Internal Pick
Janet McDonald, who chairs the Flagler County School Board through November, says she favors a broad search for the next superintendent but does not detect much interest from internal candidates to take on the job.
Jim Tager Will Retire Next June, Ruling Out Return and Triggering Search For 5th Superintendent in 10 Years
Superintendent Jim Tager will retire in 11 months and will not subsequently return even if the Flagler County School Board were to make arrangements for it, he told the board in a letter.
Flagler School District Is Finally A-Rated Again, Ending 7-Year Drought With Broad Improvements
The drought ends seven straight years of Bs, after a four-year streak of As before that. Twenty-four of Florida’s 67 districts are A-rated, 54 are either A or B rated.
Flagler Students Mostly Improve in Math, English and Civics, Ranking District in Top Third of State, But Struggle in Science
Imagine School at Town center had a particularly strong showing in English and math, as did Old Kings Elementary. Buddy Taylor middle school had concerning numbers in math’s Florida Standards Assessments but stronger numbers in geometry and algebra.
Just Fired in Volusia, Tom Russell Overcomes Deep Skepticism to Win FPC Principal’s Job
Tom Russell, Fired last week after a four and a half year tenure as Volusia’s superintendent, becomes the eighth principal in 15 years at FPC, but pledges to be there for up to seven years, and finish his career there.
Flagler Health Department Wants To Offer Free HPV Vaccine to Teen Students, But School Board Is Unconvinced
The HPV vaccine immunizes against the sexually transmitted disease and prevents nine cancers, and local immunization is very low, but two Flagler school board members are not eager to see it offered to 13 to 17 year olds.
Stunning Her Colleagues, School Board’s Janet McDonald Says It’s Time to Look
For New Superintendent
Superintendent Jim Tager is at the end of the second year of a three-year contract, and is required to stop working in July 2020 for at least six months, being in the state’s drop program. One board member said he could sit out six months and return.
FPC’s IB Class of 2019 Soars as 45 Students Collect 176 Acceptances from 60 Colleges and Universities
Stanford, Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, the University of Virginia, and of course UF and Florida State were among the 60 schools that accepted some of FPC’s IB students in one of the program’s most successful years.
Flagler Palm Coast High School Principal Bob Wallace Resigns After Just 10 Months
For FPC, Wallace’s departure means the school will have its sixth principal in 14 years by the time school resumes in August. The former Volusia County administrator had never quite fit in in Flagler.
Lawmakers Promise Flagler Schools a $242 Per-Student Increase. That’s a Lie. District Faces a $1.5 Million Deficit.
A look behind the state’s allegation of a per-student funding increase for Flagler reveals the line-item fine print of deceptions, slippery definitions and unfunded mandates, resulting in a deficit, not an increase.
Ex-School Deputy Scot Peterson Arrested On Child Neglect Charge in School Shooting
Peterson, the longtime resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, refused to investigate when he heard gunshots on campus and retreated while students and faculty members were shot and killed.
At FPC and Matanzas Graduations, Curtis Gray’s Memory Echoes in Honors and Emotions
Curtis Gray, the 18-year-old FPC senior gunned down on April 13, was awarded a posthumous honorary degree at what would have been his graduation Thursday evening, accepted by his mother, Carmen.
Janet and Dennis McDonald Agree to Settle Ethics Case for $500 Each, Reflecting Minor Disclosure Violations
School Board member Janet McDonald and her husband Dennis McDonald agreed to settle a three-year-old case with the Florida Commission on Ethics, conceding that they had made minor and unintended violations on their financial disclosure forms.
Baseless Claims of a “Shoot Up” at Indian Trails Middle School Spread Through Snapchat
Indian Trails students received a Snapchat message warning them not to go to school today for fear of a shooting, a claim that grew out of a misunderstanding tied to a student who’d made threats before.
Amy Fulmer, FPC Teacher and Formality Singers Director, is New Flagler Auditorium Chief
FPC teacher and Formality Singers director Amy Fulmer replaces Lisa McDevitt, whose 16-year tenure at the auditorium was cut short by illness and her death in January.
Flagler School Board Considers Rezoning, Creating 6-8 Middle Schools or K-8 Centers
The Flagler School Board is considering options for its nine schools that may include sending all sixth graders to middle schools, converting all elementary and middle schools into K-8 centers, rezoning, or elements of all three.
16-Year-Old Girl Who Made Bigoted Threats About FPC Teacher Is Arrested
The State Attorney is charging the girl with a count of written threats to kill, a felony, following a December incident in which the girl exchanged hateful and allegedly threatening messages about her teacher with another student.
Bethune Cookman University 2019 Consecration: “I Leave You Love”
Hubert Grimes, Bethune-Cookman University’s interim president, delivered his last message as interim to the Class of 2019 at a consecration ceremony, urging students to “overcome the lies and negativity that were unleashed over the past eighteen months about your school.”
FPC’s Epic Student Musical Energizes ‘Les Misérables’ With Song, Fury and Redemption
FPC’s $17,000 production of “Les Miserables,” the musical, opens tonight and runs through Saturday at the Flagler Auditorium, featuring a cast of 57, lavish costumes and music from one of the most enduring musicals of all times.
Some 3,700 Students Will Participate in Daytona State College’s 59th Commencement May 13
The Class of 2019 features 550 Bachelor’s recipients and 1,700 associate of arts graduates. Many will continue their studies in a DSC baccalaureate degree program or smoothly transition as juniors to universities.
A Middle School PAL Coach Is Ordered Off Matanzas High Property for Wearing an FPC Shirt. Disbelief Follows.
Derrick Griffin, a 35-year-old Navy veteran and beloved and respected coach of 50 Indian Trails Middle School PAL track students, was ordered to wear a Matanzas shirt or get off Matanzas’ track the last week of the season.
Infected By Dangerous Myths, Flagler Has 2nd Highest Rate of Non-Vaccination in Florida
Though the measles outbreak–worst since 1994–hasn’t reached Flagler, it is highlighting a serious vulnerability in the county, where 6 percent of kindergarteners last year had a religious exemption from vaccines.
Florida Senate Creates New Program Using Public Money To Fund Private School Tuition
Florida senators on Thursday passed legislation that would allow more students to use taxpayer-funded scholarships to pay for private-school tuition, a major step toward expanding school choice in the state.
All FPC Students Directed to Stadium After School Officials Find Bomb Threat In Bathroom
All Flagler Palm Coast High School students–all 2,600 of them–were diverted to the school’s stadium this morning after a bomb threat was discovered in a school bathroom around 7 a.m.
A Courtroom for a Classroom, Built By Students, Gavels Matanzas High’s Law Flagship
Matanzas High School inaugurated its new courtroom, built by its own students for the school’s law and justice flagship, as the centerpiece of a program intended to develop future lawyers, paralegals and others interested in the law.
Agreeing to New Contract for Deputies in Schools, Board and Sheriff Discuss 128 Baker Acts in 2 Years
The school board’s share includes almost $100,000 for nine school crossing guards. It does not include about $110,000 that Palm Coast contributes for the school resource deputy program.
Special Needs School Bus Headed to Belle Terre Elementary With 9 Aboard in Minor Collision
A special needs Flagler County school bus was involved in a minor collision at Rymfire Drive and Rickenbacker Drive in Palm Coast just after 9 this morning. No one was injured.