County Judge Melissa Distler today rejected a request by the attorney representing L.H. to release her to her parents, for lack of proof that she is in danger in a youth detention jail in Daytona Beach. The girl, 14, was arrested last week in palm Coast for making death threats laced in homophobic slurs, and for violating her probation. Her attorney argued that the attention the case has drawn, including the posting of her picture, name and address, has led to death threats against her family in Seminole Woods, and threats against the girl in detention.
Schools
Bullied Buddy Taylor Student Arrested for Bringing BB Gun to School for ‘Protection’; 4 Student Arrests in a Week
A 13-year-old Buddy Taylor Middle School students became the fourth Palm Coast teen in the span of six days to face a felony charge and arrest, in this case for bringing a BB gun in the shape of a Glock. The student said he did so to protect himself against bullies, knowing that school officials would not protect him.
Want To Be a Health Influencer? Join 2025 MedNexus Innovation Challenge
The University of North Florida (UNF), in partnership with the City of Palm Coast and Flagler Schools and sponsored by AdventHealth, has announced the 2025 MedNexus Innovation Challenge. This exciting competition offers regional high school students the opportunity to pitch innovative solutions to Florida’s evolving healthcare needs while competing for scholarship prizes. This year’s theme, “Becoming a Health Influencer,” challenges teams of four high school students to develop strategies leveraging social media to positively influence adolescent health.
Two FPC Students Arrested for Texting Joking Death Threats Against Each Oher
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has arrested two students at Flagler Palm Coast High School for sending threats toward each other in a text group chat. The threats were not meant seriously. The felony charges are.
Indian Trails’ Brandy Anderson Is Teacher of the Year, Wadsworth’s Brande Martz Is Employee of the Year
Flagler Schools congratulates Ms. Brandy Anderson of Indian Trails Middle School as the 2024-2025 Teacher of the Year and Ms. Brande Martz of Wadsworth Elementary School as the 2024-2025 Employee of the Year. Both will represent Flagler Schools in the Florida Department of Education State Competition later this year.
U.S. News Ranks Daytona State’s Online Bachelor’s Programs Among Best in U.S. for 13th Straight Year
U.S. News & World Report has ranked Daytona State College’s online Bachelor’s programs among the best in the nation for the 13th straight year. And DSC is again the top-ranked non-university college in the United States.
Should Public Money Fund Religious Charter Schools? Supreme Court Will Decide Constitutionality.
In Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond and St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond, the Oklahoma Supreme Court agreed with the state’s attorney general, Gentner Drummond, that the charter school board violated state law, the Oklahoma Constitution, and the U.S. Constitution when it allowed St. Isidore, a Catholic online school, to become a charter school.
Behind Daniel Fish Losing Head Football Coach Job at FPC: Major Fumbles in Classroom, and 2nd Reprimand in 14 Months
Following an internal investigation that ended in December, Daniel Fish, who was fired last week as head football coach at Flagler Palm Coast High School, was the subject of a letter of reprimand for a series of grave failures in his teaching and administrative duties. It was the second disciplinary write-up for Fish in 14 months. He had been the subject of a “letter of caution” in October 2023 following a violent incident that had started among student-athletes in the football team’s unsupervised locker room. He retains his teaching job.
Vincent’s Clubhouse Spurs Opportunities for People with Disabilities, Bridging Needs Beyond School District
Vincent’s Clubhouse Enrichment Center at Palm Coast’s European Village is an evidence-based program focused on vocational and life skills training, personal development, hygiene, financial skills, marketplace skills, and literacy for adults and younger people. But it was not until late last year, after years of evolution and growth, that Vincent’s Clubhouse’s nomadic years ended with the opening of its permanent home, a 1,600-square-foot facility–what would otherwise be a shopfront–at European Village, with a faculty of five and 20 adult “members” enrolled.
Childhood Vaccination Rates Are Slipping in ‘Health Freedom’ Florida and Other States with Exemptions
Pediatricians in states with high exemption rates, such as Florida and Georgia, say they’re concerned by what they see — declining immunization levels for kindergartners, which could lead to a resurgence in vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles. The Florida Department of Health reported nonmedical exemption rates as high as 50% for children in some areas.
Senator Files Bill to Scrap Later Start Times for High School Students, Putting Transportation Ahead of Student Needs
With Florida school districts facing a 2026 deadline, a Senate Republican on Friday filed a proposal that would repeal requirements aimed at later start times for many high schools. The proposal would benefit Flagler County schools, where officials in 2023 devised a new start times, but in the opposite direction. Supporters of later start times have argued that the changes would help high-school students get more sleep. But the requirements have faced concerns from school districts about issues such as bus schedules.
Judge Scraps Biden’s LGBTQ Protections and Bans Requiring Teachers to Use Students’ Chosen Pronouns
A federal district court judge struck down President Joe Biden’s effort to protect transgender students and make other changes to Title IX, ruling the U.S. Department of Education violated teachers’ rights by requiring them to use transgender students’ names and pronouns. The ruling, which applies nationwide, came as a major blow to the Biden administration in its final days and to LGBTQ+ advocates. President-elect Donald Trump took aim at transgender people in a culture war-focused campaign.
University Board Nominee Calls Career Women ‘Medicated, Meddlesome and Quarrelsome.” DeSantis Defends Him.
Gov. Ron DeSantis defended his appointment to the University of West Florida Board of Trustees of a political scientist who claims that encouraging women to prioritize their careers has led to the decline of family life. In speeches, essays, articles, and interviews Scott Yenor details his views against same-sex relationships, including that LGBTQ+ practices bring “dreaded diseases,” and labeling career-oriented women as “medicated, meddlesome and quarrelsome.”
Matanzas High Senior Beats the Buzzer in a Game to Remember
Pirates Senior Haley Olson entered a varsity game for the first time ever. Although a foul by visiting Trinity Christian (Deltona, Florida) sent Haley to the line late, her first points ever would actually come moments later in buzzer-beater fashion.
Flagler’s New Legislative Delegation, Meager in Money and Seniority, Tells Locals: Don’t Expect Much
The much-diminished Flagler County Legislative Delegation took its seats this afternoon in Bunnell, cautioning local government and organization representatives seeking state aid for numerous projects that it’s a new, poorer day in Tallahassee, where federal Covid aid and legislative seniority are gone. Sen. Tom Leek and Rep. Sam Greco are each in his first term, though Leek brings eight years of service in the House, where he rose to the appropriations committee chairmanship before he was term-limited.
Lawsuit Proceeds After District Allowed Christian, But Not Satan, Banners at Schools
A federal judge this week allowed a lawsuit to move forward against the Broward County School Board over its refusal to allow banners that said “Satan Loves the First Amendment” at two schools.
As Florida Celebrates Ignorance, SAT Scores and College Rankings Drop, Teachers Flee
A recent column in the Independent Florida Alligator laments how college professors and other educators who teach disfavored subjects or use certain words are beginning to self-censor. The headline reads, “Think While It’s Still Legal.” Gov. Ron DeSantis and his angry regime aren’t big fans of thinking. Or learning. They hate and fear knowledge.
Spurred by a Middle School Student’s Project, Florida’s Dixie County Leaps Into Electric School Buses
The Dixie district is so small, it serves approximately 2,000 students across five schools, from pre-K through 12th grade. Still, its 23 buses will collectively travel 270,000 miles annually. By avoiding 228 metric tons of CO2 emissions, the electric buses will improve air quality for the whole community so everyone can breathe easier. Dixie’s electric buses are among the 66,000 projects funded by the $568 billion Biden infrastructure plan, which is considered the nation’s largest investment ever in clean energy.
Justifying Book Bans, Florida Says It’s Not Required to Provide Libraries to School Students. Publishers Disagree.
Major publishing companies and authors Friday argued that a federal judge should deny Florida’s request to dismiss a lawsuit over the removal of school library books, saying a controversial state law violates First Amendment rights. Attorneys disputed a state position that selection of school library books is “government speech” and, as a result, is not subject to the First Amendment.
Appeals Court Splits Verdict on School District’s Sunshine Violations in Library Books Case
An appeals court Wednesday said an Indian River County School Board textbook committee violated the state’s open-government Sunshine Law but a committee that reviewed school library books did not.
School Board’s Furry Defends No-Bid Contract for New Attorney as Ruddy and Ramirez Raise Questions
Janie Ruddy and Lauren Ramirez are discovering that the Flagler County School Board to which they were just elected is its own peculiar governing creature, unlike any local government when it comes to transparency and certain procedures. Exhibit A: its attorney hires. The new board members raised questions about the no-bid hire of the board’s attorney in addition to a separate counsel for the district’s staff work.
Don’t Ban Health-Related Books from Florida Schools, Groups Urge
Four groups — the Florida Freedom to Read Project (FFTRP), PEN America, EveryLibrary, and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCA) — sent a letter to school superintendents and attorneys representing Florida’s school boards urging restraint when it comes to books that include topics such as anatomy, teen pregnancy, and sexual assault.
Matanzas’s Kristin Bozeman Is Principal of the Year, FPC’s Mandy Kraverotis, a Book Advocate, Wins Assistant Honor
Flagler Schools announced that Matanzas High School Principal Kristin Bozeman has been named the 2024 Flagler Schools Principal of the Year, and Flagler Palm Coast High School Assistant Principal Mandy Kraverotis has been recognized as the 2024 Flagler Schools Assistant Principal of the Year.
$405 Million for 2 New Schools by 2033? Not If Flagler District’s Enrollment Continues to Flatline
Since 2007, enrollment in Flagler County’s nine traditional, brick and mortar schools has barely budged even as the county’s population has surged. Enrollment in those schools was 12,580 in 2007. At last count this year, it is 12,478–a slight decline both from 2007 and from the end of last school year, when enrollment rose a bit. The district is projecting a new middle school and a new high school by the early 2030s, for $405 million.
AdventHealth Partners with District’s Project SEARCH to Prepare Disabled Students for Workplace
Project SEARCH partners Flagler Schools with local businesses, like AdventHealth Palm Coast, and provides students with real-world job experiences that build skills for future careers and confidence in navigating the workplace.
Florida Leads an Authoritarian Assault on Higher Education
Authoritarians always love the poorly educated and the mis-educated. The well-educated, the readers, the questioners, those who demand evidence, gather facts, and trust verifiable information (as opposed to propaganda) are a threat. Aspirants to dictatorhood know the first play is destroy education. Nip that critical thinking in the bud. DeSantis is showing the way in Florida.
UNF Gets $800,000 National Parks Service Grant to Restore Coastlines and Battle Erosion
The University of North Florida and National Park Service announced the NPS has awarded nearly $800,000 to UNF to ramp up efforts to restore local coastlines and battle shoreline erosion at three national parks in Florida and Georgia.
Daytona State College Women’s Soccer Team Wins National Championship
The Daytona State College Women’s Soccer team made history Saturday, capturing the 2024 NJCAA Division I National Championship in their debut appearance with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over Arizona Western. Freshman midfielder Sienna Gillespie earned the tournament’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player award, while freshman goalie Julianna Trujillo, who secured the winning penalty kick in the semifinal match, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Florida’s New College Wants to Teach All About ‘Woke’
New College of Florida will soon start taking a scholarly look back at the stampede of “woke” teachings and social consciousness in higher education and politics that prompted protest marches, boycotts and “canceling” of anyone who defied the liberal line or spoke out against this new political correctness on steroids.
Texas Board of Education Approves Curriculum Heavy on Christianity
A majority of the Texas State Board of Education gave final approval Friday to a state-authored curriculum under intense scrutiny in recent months for its heavy inclusion of biblical teachings. Critics, which included religious studies scholars, say the curriculum’s lessons allude to Christianity more than any other religion, which they say could lead to the bullying and isolation of non-Christian students, undermine church-state separation and grant the state far-reaching control over how children learn about religion.
State School Board Targets Parents Whose Children Report Unfounded Threats
The State Board of Education on Wednesday approved a rule change that will require school districts to make training available to parents and guardians on the use of FortifyFL, an app where anonymous tips can be submitted about suspicious activities. Students already receive such training.
FPC Bulldogs Were Robbed of a Crucial Down in What Had Been a Winning Drive. Principal Reacts.
Last Friday the Flagler Palm Coast High School Bulldogs appear to have been robbed of a final down, ending what had been been a winning drive in a playoff football game against Spruce Creek High School. Instead, they lost. FPC Principal Bobby Bossardet reflects.
A School Board of New Faces Is Seated, Giving Will Furry Chairmanship for 2nd Year
For the second time in two years, three of the five Flagler County School Board seats turned over to new members as Janie Ruddy, Lauren Ramirez and Derek Barrs were sworn-in Tuesday evening. Will Furry was named chair again, and Christy Chong named vice chair for the second year.
Florida Universities Are Cutting Ties to 7 ‘Countries of Concern’
The state university system’s Board of Governors next week is scheduled to receive a report about the law, which targeted ties to China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria. The law, in part, largely prevented state universities and colleges from participating in agreements or partnerships with schools based in the countries of concern.
The Live Profile
Belfast Fire: The Colleen Conklin You Never Knew
When Colleen Conklin is celebrated as she leaves 24 years of service on the Flagler County School Board, the focus will be on those 24 years. But where had she come from, and what made her who she was? Here’s the story of the Colleen Conklin who grew up in back of her parents’ bars, the Conklin who drove trucks, started her teaching career in the South Bronx, founded human rights chapters, conquered learning obstacles all the way to a doctorate but also nearly dropped out of college in favor of a career in insurance.
A Mile-Long Veterans Day Parade of 1,000 Participants Unites Flagler’s Cities, County and Schools in Salute
After a Veterans Day parade of more than 1,000 participants representing all cities, the county and the School Board, among others, ambled through Bunnell in a mile-long procession, hundreds of people gathered at the Government Services building for the day’s ceremonies, including a Veteran Day essay by middle schooler Mellissa Ryon, a keynote speech by Randall Stapleford, and musical performances.
Despite Trump’s Win, School Vouchers Were Again Rejected by Majorities of Voters
In several Republican-led states, popular sentiment on the voucher issue has been overridden by the efforts of special interest groups and powerful governors who have enacted sweeping voucher programs that often benefit affluent families.
Flagler and Gomorrah
The outcome of local elections will affect us at least as much as anything that happens nationally. With that in mind it’s worth taking stock of our local political landscape post-apocalypse, because it’s a whole lot better than Gomorrah and, ironically, almost entirely Republican.
As Flagler County Went Red, School Students Went Redder, But a Mock Election Takes a Turn for the ‘Divisive’
Just eight years ago, the 6,500 students from Flagler County district and private schools gave Hillary Clinton a 1 percent edge over Donald Trump in that year’s election, conducted a few days before that election night, when Trump shocked country and world by taking the Midwest and the election. Since then, however, students in Flagler’s schools have turned Trump’s way more decisively–just as their parents have.
For Ex-Montessori School Owner Kerri Huckabee, 30 Days in Jail and 3 Years Probation Over Attacks on Neighbors
Kerri Anne Huckabee, the 55-year-old Flagler Beach resident and former Montessori school owner arrested 14 months ago on felony charges after attacking and destroying her neighbors’ surveillance cameras in the culmination of chronic hostility toward them, was sentenced today to 30 days in jail and three years on probation in a plea agreement that reduced the charges and closed the case.
Daytona State College Graduates from School of Nursing Achieved Near-100% Pass Rate
The results from the most recent NCLEX (the National Council Licensure Examination) have been published, and Daytona State College graduates from the Bob & Carol Allen School of Nursing have achieved an outstanding 99.24% pass rate.
Daisy Henry Street Now Glides Through the Heart of Bunnell, Along Carver Gym Late Pastor Championed and Saved
This morning, a stretch of four blocks of East Drain Street, along the gym’s ballfields on one side and family homes on the other, became Daisy Henry Street, so renamed for the former city commissioner and pastor by a city that wanted to “honor a legacy,” in the words of City Manager Alvin Jackson, and bolden Henry’s already distinguished mark on Bunnell’s history.
Gov. DeSantis Appoints Derek Barrs, Who Lost to Janie Ruddy by 291 Votes, to School Board Seat Hunt Resigned
Gov. Ron DeSantis Wednesday appointed Derek Barrs, the former Florida Highway Patrol troop commander and chief who lost to Janie Ruddy by 290 votes in a School Board race in August, to the board seat Sally Hunt resigned a month after the primary.
At Chamber’s Future of Flagler Forum, Rousing Cheer for Years Ahead from City, County and School Leaders
The Palm Coast-Flagler Regional Chamber of Commerce gave a crowd of over 100 people the chance to hear the state of Flagler County’s cities, county and school board in less than 60 minutes, presented in rapid, compelling, and at times rousing succession by men and women more knowledgeable, less vapid and generally more intelligent than the elected officials who hire them: city and county managers and the school superintendent.
Speech Codes at Flagler School Board and Palm Coast Council Are Now Illegal, Thanks to Moms for Liberty
A decision by the federal 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, controlling law in Flagler County, invalidates local governments’ speech codes that prohibit public speakers from addressing individual members of elected boards, or citing employees by name, or quoting from school library books, no matter how racy, or speaking offensively, which is considered a point of view. But rules against disruption and obscenity remain. The question is: will local governments correct their rules accordingly?
DSC Partners with Florida Surf Film Festival in Showings Nov. 15-16
Three-time World Surf League Champion Tom Curren will make a special appearance at the East Coast premiere of “Tom and I”, a film directed by Nilton Baptista and Jeremy Pfeiffer. The premiere will be held during the Florida Surf Film Festival, taking place November 15-16 at Daytona State College’s News-Journal Center.
Stetson University Named a Green College by Princeton Review for 9th Time
Stetson University has been recognized for the ninth time as a Green College by The Princeton Review, which cited the institution’s strong commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship on the DeLand campus.
Federal Judge Cites ‘Legislative Privilege’ to Shield School Board Members from testifying in Book Ban Case
A federal judge has shielded Escambia County School Board members from having to testify in a legal battle about the removal of children’s books from school libraries. United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho on Friday issued a 15-page order agreeing with the school board that members do not have to give depositions because of what is known as “legislative privilege.”
New College’s Descent from Stellar Florida College to ‘Eugenicon’
Steve Sailer, a “eugenicon” who believes Black people are genetically inferior to whites, race is biological, interracial marriage is wrong, and “core Americans” are by definition white, has been invited to speak at one of New College’s “Socratic Stage Dialogues.” Socrates himself would not know whether to laugh, cry, or take an even bigger swig of hemlock.
For Colleen Conklin, a Preview of Farewells and Flowers After 24 Years as She Logs Penultimate School Board Meeting
Flagler County School Board members Colleen Conklin and Cheryl Massaro, each in her own way, spoke their farewells at their last voting School Board meeting, though both will serve through another workshop in November, where a celebration of their tenures is planned. Conklin has been on the board since 2000, Massaro since 2020.