A Flagler County school district investigation of now-former Flagler Palm Coast high School basketball coach Anthony Wagner found that he had committed various improprieties and acted unprofessionally, resulting in his second written reprimand and his removal from that role. He is also not being recommended for reappointment as a teacher.
Schools
As Investigation of Principal Paul Peacock Nears Conclusion, His Absence from Reappointment List Draws Speculation
As an independent investigation into employee complaints against Wadsworth Elementary Principal Paul Peacock concluded, Peacock’s name was absent from the list of administrators to be reappointed next year, raising speculation about his fate. The school board attorney said the list is not complete.
Upside of Unrequited Survives Book Ban at FPC, But 57% of Challenged Titles Were Removed From Flagler Schools This Year
A Flagler Palm Coast High School committee of faculty and residents voted 7-0 to keep Becky Albertalli’s The Upside of Unrequited on high school library shelves. It was the last challenge of the year by just three individuals, who had filed 44 challenges to 22 titles, succeeding in having 12 of them removed.
He Was Convinced the School Board Was Pushing “Transgender BS.” He Was Arrested. And Emboldened.
A parent had grievances to air about library books “trying to convert kids to gay,” and about mask and vaccine mandates. So he joined an activist group and headed to a school board meeting. This story explores how school board meetings across the country are fomenting conflicts and controversies that have led to violence and arrests.
On Flagler Schools’ Ban List: The Upside of Unrequited, a Review and a Recommendation
Becky Albertalli’s “The Upside of Unrequited,” about a fat girl’s desperate quest for a date after 26 unrequited crushes, is one of 22 titles on Flagler’s ban list, and the last to be considered by a school-based committee at FPC on Thursday.
School Board’s Sally Hunt Feels Unsafe in Workshops and Asks for Permanent Deputy Security
Without explaining why, and to her colleagues’ surprise, Flagler County School Board member Sally Hunt told the board she feels unsafe in workshop settings on the third floor of the Government Services Building, and has requested the posting of a deputy there, which would cost the district at least $2,600 a year.
LaShakia Moore Is Flagler Schools’ Interim Superintendent. Why Would She Want Permanent Post?
The question LaShakia Moore isn’t yet answering is whether she will apply for the permanent position, which the board hopes to fill by Jan. 1. She enjoys district and community support and respect. Yet the more valid question, given this school board’s volatility, may be: why would Moore want to be the permanent superintendent?
3-2 Vote to Keep Belle Terre Swim Club Open Is Only One More Uncertain Reprieve for Troubled Facility
The Flagler County School Board’s 3-2 vote Tuesday to keep the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club open to the public is only one more extension of uncertain length. The board has yet to decide how long it will keep it open, and on what terms, in essence leaving fundamental questions that have bedeviled the club for years unanswered.
A Federal Lawsuit Is Filed Against Florida School District, Calling Book Bans Unconstitutional
The lawsuit is against the Escambia County School District and its local school board. Plaintiffs include PEN America, powerhouse publisher Penguin Random House, several authors, and parents of children. A remedy: Return books to school library shelves, particularly books considered “targeted,” according to the lawsuit.
A Different ‘Battle of the Books’ Cheers Competing Students at Rymfire Elementary
At Rymfire Elementary this morning, it was a very different “Battle of the Books” from the kind that’s been crumpling Flagler County’s school libraries for the last couple of years: this battle was all about the love and joy of reading, as 80 students competed to match blind quotes with any of the 15 books they’d read this year.