Wendy Libby became Stetson’s ninth president in July 2009 and its first woman president since the university was founded in 1883. Undergraduate enrollment rose 50 percent during her tenure.
Schools
Stetson President Wendy Libby
Indian Trails Middle Student, 14, Arrested For Threatening Girl With a Gun in a Video Message
The 14-year-old Indian Trails Middle School student made the threat in a video he recorded while holding a gun belonging to his parents. The incident took place off campus.
DeSantis Calls For Statewide Grand Jury Investigation of Local School Districts’ Safety
Gov. Ron DeSantis is asking the Florida Supreme Court to impanel a statewide grand jury to investigate whether school districts are complying with mandatory safety measures designed to protect students.
Buddy Taylor Student, 13, Alleged Target of Bullying, Arrested For Threatening to Shoot Up School During Xbox Game
The student was playing on Xbox Live with two friends when he made threats to bomb and shoot up the school as he was losing. He acknowledged anger issues but faces a felony.
Governor Seeks More Generous Teacher Bonus Program, But Is Silent on Higher Salaries
DeSantis said the new program could provide bonuses of more than $9,000 to nearly 45,000 “highly effective” teachers, whose unions say higher salaries would be the best approach.
Sweeping Bill Would Allow Private, Armed Guards on Florida’s School Campuses
A sweeping proposal would allow districts to arm teachers, look to train guardians outside the counties where they would serve and allow districts to contract with guards through private security firms.
Lisa McDevitt, Flagler Auditorium’s Vigor and Champion, Remembered as ‘Mama Lisa’ Of the Performing Arts
Paying tribute to Lisa McDevitt, the Flagler Auditorium’s long-time executive director, were some 300 people Saturday, including family, friends, and performers she’d shepherded through the stage over the years.
DeSantis Backs More Money for Armed Staffers in Schools, But Also More Flexibility in District Spending
DeSantis is proposing renewing nearly $100 million in school security funds but wants school districts to have more choice in how they spend the money.
DeSantis Pitches $91.3 Billion Budget, Including Education Increase of $224 Per Student
In what would be the largest budget in state history, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday released a proposed $91.3 billion spending plan that would increase school funding, pump money into water-quality projects and trim taxes.
Grade Average for IB Class of 2018 at FPC Exceeds World’s By a Shade as 40 Students Claim Diplomas
The FPC 40 students who earned an IB diploma or certificate dispersed to 14 colleges in Florida, two other states and the Philippines before returning to claim their diplomas at a recent ceremony at the school.
DeSantis Calls for New Education Standards That Would Scrap Remains of Common Core
DeSantis’ announcement came five years after then-Gov. Rick Scott took aim at the Common Core standards, which were developed by officials in 48 states and have particularly drawn criticism from Republican voters.
Vehicle Strikes 12-Year-Old Student on Bike Near Buddy Taylor Middle
A 12-year-old student bicycling south from Buddy Taylor Middle School this afternoon was struck and injured by a vehicle at the Belle Terre Parkway-Pritchard Drive intersection.
Lisa McDevitt, a Force Behind Flagler Auditorium and Arts Education, Dies at 58
Lisa McDevitt, the executive director of the Flagler Auditorium for the last 16 years and a fierce advocate for the arts in education, died Monday after a months-long struggle with cancer.
Faced With Millions in Misused Money, UCF President Acknowledges ‘Broken Culture’
An investigation outlined $84.7 million in state operating funds that were used or slated to be used by UCF in direct violation of state policy.
Rymfire’s Donelle Evensen and Matanzas’s Eugenia Moore Win District’s Top Honors for 2019
Donelle Evensen a literacy coach Rymfire Elementary School, is the 2019 Flagler County Teacher of the year, and Eugenia Moore, the guidance clerk at Matanzas High School, is the support employee of the year.
Old Kings Elementary’s Addison Davis Survives Being ‘Eviscerated’ and Wins County Spelling Bee on a Pretzel
Addison Davis, 11, a fifth grader at Old Kings Elementary, won the county-wide spelling bee Wednesday and goes on to the regional bee in Jacksonville on Feb. 19.
Reilly Opelka In Stunning Upset Of World’s 9th-Ranked Isner at Australian Open
Reilly Opelka, the former Indian Trails Middle School student, now 7-feet tall, showed his maturity and improved ground game to stun Isner, who was ranked 9th in the world going into the game.
11-Year-Old Rymfire Elementary Student Faces Felony Over Knife Possession and “Murder” Threat
The 11-year-old student is alleged to have brought a 12.5 inch knife to school and thrown it over the fence after threatening a 13-year-old with “murder.”
Flagler District’s Graduation Rate Soars to 88%, Vindicating Big Push and Tager’s “Bunker”
The district’s graduation rate’s improvements were powered by gains among black and at-risk students, and by Superintendent Jim Tager’s “bunker,” a system that focuses on students who think they can;t make it.
Belle Terre Elementary Community Mourns Loss of Palm Coast 3rd Grader in an Accident
Connor R. Allen, 8, of Palm Coast, a student at Belle Terre Elementary, was with his grandfather, Roland J. Robidoux, 73, in Edgewater, when he was pinned in a storage unit by a car his grandfather was storing.
Parkland Massacre Report Calls for More Armed Teachers, More Money for School Cops
“Personal and system failures” culminated in the mass shooting that left 14 students and three faculty members dead and 17 people wounded at a Broward County high school, according to a report by a state panel that spent months investigating the Valentine’s Day massacre.
Florida School Enrollment Grows at
Slowest Rate Since the Great Recession
Florida has about 17,000 fewer students in its kindergarten-to-high school system than lawmakers anticipated this year, a new report shows.
State Board of Education Approves Appointment of Richard Corcoran as Education Commissioner
The appointment of Corcoran, who has scant education experience but a lengthy political resume, was all but assured when Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis announced his support for the former lawmaker.
Overlooking Its Call for ‘Unity,’ Flagler NAACP Claims Sheriff ‘Sought to Bury’ Incident Involving 2 Racist Students at FPC
What the Flagler Branch of the NAACP billed as a “unified public support press conference” for the high school teacher targeted by two students’ racist threats featured more grandstanding and accusations than revelations today.
T.K. Wetherell, Former House Speaker and Florida State President, Dies at 72
Wetherell, a Daytona Beach native, served in the House from 1980 to 1992, the final two years as speaker. He died of cancer.
Yet Another Student Is Arrested, At FPC, Over School Shooting Threats, Capping Exasperating Week
In the fourth school-safety incident in five school days, yet another student, a 16-year-old attending Flagler Palm Coast High School, was arrested today on allegations that he threatened to shoot up the school.
Two More Students, Both 13, Face Charges Over Shooting Threats Targeting Indian Trails Middle
The reported threats on an after-school bus was the third incident in the last five school days resulting in charges or arrests involving a total of five students.
Ethics Commission Finds Probable Cause School Board’s Janet McDonald and Husband Dennis Violated Law on Disclosures
A state ethics investigation found that both Dennis and Janet McDonald inaccurately reported assets on disclosure forms ahead of election runs. The late Frank Meeker, a county commissioner, filed the ethics complaints shortly before his death in 2016.
FPC Teacher Pursues Hate Crime Charges On 2 Racist Students Who Threatened Her
Two 16-year-old students who exchanged a string of online, racist threats about their language arts teacher during class on Monday face misdemeanor assault charges with a possible enhancement under Florida’s hate-crime law.
‘Culture Change’ Needed In Schools as Parkland Massacre Commission Finalizes Its Work
The panel will ask the Legislature to impose sanctions if school districts failed to put into effect some of the school-safety measures, including measures already required by law, such as active-shooter drills.
2 FPC Students’s Threats Targeting Teacher Were Racially Motivated; Criminal Charges Still Possible
Two students claiming they were just joking made explicit, racist threats against their teacher in written chats uncovered Monday, and may yet face criminal charges, contrary to earlier claims.
Two FPC Students Barred From Campus After Allegations of Online Threats Against Teacher
Two students at FPC were allegedly exchanging online chatter about the time and place to harm a teacher. The Sheriff’s Office investigated and declined to pursue charges, though the students face discipline from the district.
Buddy Taylor Middle Student Arrested With Loaded Gun in Math Class; .45 Was Stolen From Unlocked Car on Point Pleasant
A 14-year-old student was arrested for bringing a loaded gun to Buddy Taylor Middle School today. The gun had been reported stolen out of an unlocked car in Palm Coast in April.
Pushing For Charter Schools and Vouchers, DeSantis Will name Corcoran Education Commissioner
Corcoran, a lawyer and Republican from Pasco County, secured the passage of two major charter-school and voucher-friendly bills during his 2016-18 tenure as speaker.
Man Who Tried to Get Into Wadsworth Elementary and Referred to a School Shooting Is Identified
The man walked up to the front desk at Wadsworth Elementary Thursday morning and asked where the school’s book fair was, but also asked when the school was last shot up.
Flagler College and China’s Foreign Affairs University Sign Exchange Agreement
CFAU is China’s leading university for future diplomats and foreign affairs and policy specialists and will exchange faculty and student with Flagler College.
Ambition and Pledges of Openness Frame Swearings-In at County Commission and Palm Coast Council
Joe Mullins was sworn-in as a county commissioner and Donald O’Brien elected chairman while Jack Howell and Eddie Branquinho took their seats on the Palm Coast council today.
Flagler Schools Will Reluctantly Adopt Religious Freedom Policy Imposed By State
The Flagler County school district is following state law in adopting a new but vague policy protecting religious expression, though some school board members say it’s an unnecessary imposition.
Paul Peacock of Indian Trails and Cara Cronk of Buddy Taylor Are District’s Administrators of the Year
Indian Trails Middle School’s Paul Peacock is this year’s Principal of the Year in the Flagler district, and Buddy Taylor Middle School’s Cara Cronk is the assistant principal of the year.
Flagler Representative On Federal Juvenile Justice Panel Describes Efforts Decimated By Trump
Cheryl Massaro, director of the Flagler County Youth Center, describes how the Trump administration disbanded and stopped the work of the Federal Advisory Committee for Juvenile Justice she was appointed to two years ago.
Bitter Clash Over Charter Schools Behind Supreme Court Decision To Kill ‘Defective’ Ballot Measure
The proposed constitutional amendment could have opened a new avenue for the establishment of charter schools outside the control of county school boards.
Flagler Education Foundation Revenue Jumps 70%, Local Donations Up 143% Over 2016
Joe Rizzo, the Flagler Education Foundation’s executive director, has been on the job since February 2017, significantly improving the school district’s non-profit arm’s fund-raising and visibility.
Gillum Wants $50,000 Minimum Teacher Salary. DeSantis Proposes 80% Formula.
In competing proposals, Democrat Andrew Gillum would provide teachers with a minimum $50,000 starting salary by raising the corporate tax, Ron DeSantis would require 80 percent of school funding to be spent in classrooms.
Florida Charter Schools Have ‘Largely Failed to Deliver’ Promised Innovation, Report Finds
A new report from a Tallahassee-based research group raises questions about the growing role of charter schools in Florida, including citing the closure of 373 charter schools since 1998.
State Education Board Wants a $200 Per-Student Increase and $100 Million More For Cops
The budget proposal, which was approved by the Board of Education at a meeting in Naples, drew support from education advocates.
Nicholas Urban, 18, Dies of Self-Inflicted Gunshot; Matanzas High Community’s 6th Suicide in 5 Years
Nicholas D’Artagnan Urban, 18, was found at his home in Palm Coast’s Hammock Wednesday. He had graduated Matanzas High last December. His death is the 8th violent death involving the Matanzas High community since 2013.
Justices Weigh Loading Charter Schools, Term Limits and Civics on One Amendment
Justices are only supposed to determine whether the ballot title and summary would provide an accurate description of the proposed constitutional amendment to voters.
Flagler Youth Orchestra, Accompanist to Generation of Students, Marks 14th Year With Open House Wednesday
Many thousands of students have enrolled in the free Flagler Youth Orchestra’s strings program through the years, with some 400 enrolling each fall. Its open house is next week.
Where School Board Candidates Stand on Exceptional Student Education (ESE)
Complete video interviews of Flagler County School Board board candidates by the Flagler Exceptional Student Education Support Group.
Paul Anderson, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Paul Anderson is one of five candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 28 primary election: all Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.