“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.
Schools
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.
Trevor Tucker, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Trevor Tucker 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.
Carl Jones, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Carl Jones 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.
John Fischer, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
John Fischer 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.
Janet McDonald, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Janet McDonald 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.
Palm Coast Manager’s Power-Play Mucks Up Donation of Truck to FPC’s Fire Academy, Ignoring County’s Role
What should have been a feel-good donation of a fire engine to FPC’s popular Fire Academy turned into a turf war after Palm Coast Manager Jim Landon ignored the county fire department’s role in the academy.
Judge Orders Proposed Amendment on Charter Schools Off the Ballot, But Appeal Likely
The provision in question would have allowed the state to operate and control public schools “not established by the school board,” wording that could have yielded oversight to private companies.
At Buddy Taylor Middle, Dress-Code Violation Escalates to Arrest Over Threats of Suicide and School Shooting
The arrest of a 15-year-old student at Buddy Taylor Middle School Thursday is the year’s first instance of a student allegedly threatening an attack on fellow students, faculty–and herself.
22 of Florida’s 67 School Districts Are Using Armed Personnel as “Guardians” to Comply With Law
The guardian program approved by lawmakers has been controversial, with most districts, including Flagler County, rejecting the idea of training school personnel to be armed.
Schools Are Safer Than Your Home
We’re making fortresses of the safest places in America, out of fear that one of those 120,000 schools might at some point be the target of a shooting.
A Day Before School Starts, FPC Principal Dusty Sims Announces He’s Leaving District For
State Education Job
Dusty Sims, the popular and charismatic principal at Flagler Palm Coast High School since 2015, is leaving the school for a state Department of Education job, overseeing failing schools.
At Parkland Massacre Commission, Lessons of Columbine Compete With Tragic Repetitions
Security enhancements include more active-shooter drills, upgraded cameras with a central monitoring system and single-point entries for visitors.
New Back To School Normal For Flagler School Employees: How To Deal With a Mass Killer
The Flagler Auditorium today filled with 1,000 faculty members for “active shooter” or “incident survival” training through a vivid, disquieting presentation by Sheriff’s officials.
Bright Futures ‘Medallion’ Scholarships For 46,000 Floridians Increase to Cover 75% of Tuition and Fees
The expansion is part of a record $519 million Bright Futures program legislators approved this year, with the the medallion portion of the scholarships increased to about $190 million.
Florida’s Back-To-School Sales Tax Holiday Is This Weekend: Here’s A Guide (No Electronics)
Florida’s sales tax holiday on school supplies, clothing, shoes and other select accessories is this weekend–starting at a minute after midnight Friday, Aug. 3, through midnight Sunday, Aug. 5.
For FPC Student-Athlete Allen Roberson, 16, A Summer Battling a Rare Brain Tumor And Aiming For Next Run
Allen Roberson, an honors student and a runner at FPC, went through complicated surgeries on July 3 and 12 and has been mending through radiation and chemotherapy since.
Flagler School Enrollment Remains Flat, Florida Will See Slowdown in 2019-20
Enrollment in Flagler County has been flat for a decade, hovering at or just below 13,000 students since 2007. That’s not about to change.
FSU Will Move Statue of Slaveholder and Seek to Scrub Segregationist’s Name From Law School Building
The statue of Francis Eppes, a grandson of Thomas Jefferson and a former mayor of Tallahassee, has been up only since 2002. FSU President John Thrasher will seek to have the name of segregationist B.K. Roberts removed from the law school building.
Three of Florida’s State University Presidents Earned More Than $1 Million Last Year
Three state university presidents in Florida earned more than $1 million in pay and other compensation during the 2016-2017 academic year.
School Massacre Commission Told Emergency Communications Problems Are Not Restricted To Broward
Emergency calls from Parkland are shepherded by two separate communication centers, depending on whether the caller uses a cell phone or landline.
In Letter to 3,600 Students Who Did Not Return, Daytona State Offers 25% Off Tuition
Daytona State wrote 3,600 students dating back to 2013 who did not complete their degrees, offering a one-time incentive valued at 25 percent off the cost of in-state tuition for Fall 2018 Semester.