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.
Schools
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.
Union-Busting Bill Draws Lawsuit from Florida Education Association and Teachers
Florida teachers and unions filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the constitutionality of a new law that requires local unions to represent 50 percent or more of instructional personnel.
Flagler School District Scores a B For 7th Year In a Row, Ranks 32nd Out of 67
Only Indian Trails Middle School scored an A while Old Kings and Rymfire elementaries dropped a grade. Other schools maintained last year’s grades.
Andy Dance Re-Elected To Flagler School Board Without Opposition; Others Must Slog It Out
Andy Dance was re-elected to a fourth term. A school board and a Palm Coast council race will be decided in August, others won’t be decided until November.
School Board Rejects $2.5 Million Bid For Palm Coast Parkway Property It Bought For $3.5 Million
The $2.5 million offer was $500,000 higher than the best appraisal of the property. The board split 2-2 on the offer from Michael Collard Properties, who’d offered $1.8 million last year.
Palm Harbor Charter School Will Shut Down Oct. 31 From Chronically Poor Performance
The Palm Coast charter school becomes the third in six years to shut its doors. Irregularities and poor student performance led the district to pressure Palm Harbor to close.
Flagler College Ranked in Top Five of ‘Best Beach Colleges’
Flagler College recently ranked fourth in ‘25 Best Beach Colleges’ list from College Consensus. The list recognized colleges for effectively using their unique coastal locations as an educational engagement tool. Drawing from college review sources such as U.S. News reports and Center for World University Rankings, as well as from student reviews, College Consensus said […]
For Flagler Students, Slight Declines In English and Math Mask Stronger Gains in the Details
When broken out, the declines tend to be more isolated than systemic, and despite the declines, the district remains above the state average in both English and math.
Flagler Schools’ Problem Solvers Claim Two 1st Places Among 6 Trophies at International Competition
Katia Martynuk of FPC and Michael Mwaura of Indian Trails took first place as Flagler’s students from the two schools also claimed one second-place and three third-place finishes.
School Massacre Commission Hears Troubling Account Of Ineffective Database and Information-Sharing
Panelists on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission discussed shortcomings in a database designed to capture information about troubled students.
Flagler’s and DSC’s Education Chiefs Talk Bunkers, Breweries, Graduation and Jobs
Superintendent Jim Tager, Flagler Technical Institute Director Renee Stauffacher, and Daytona State College President Tom LoBasso were the featured speakers an education breakfast.
Court Largely Sides With Florida State In Weapons Dispute With Florida Carry
An appeals court Friday backed Florida State University in much of a legal battle with a gun-rights group about weapons on campus, though the case goes back to circuit court.
Daytona State Students Will See No Tuition Increase in 2018-19, Some Adjustments to Fees
For the 2018-2019 academic year that begins in August, Daytona State College once again plans to hold the line on tuition, with a zero-tuition increase for its 27,000 students.
Incident on Brewster Lane Triggers Chase of 2 Suspicious Individuals By Air and Ground
A possible burglary on Brewster Lane early this afternoon triggered a search of two young individuals by ground and air, and the delay of the release of walking students from Indian Trails Middle School.
Teens-In-Flight Marks 10 Years, New Home and Expanded Mission at Flagler Airport
Teens-In-Flight, the 10-year-old non-profit that gives children of fallen soldiers a path to flying, marked the opening of its new home at Flagler Airport this afternoon.
Adding To Recent Woes, Embry-Riddle Training Plane Loses a Door Over Flagler
A Diamond DA-42, a twin-engine plane manufactured in 2016, was flying over the south end of the county when it lost the door in a near-repeat of a 2013 incident.
Rymfire Elementary Student Sets Fire to Paper Dispenser, Triggering Sprinklers Evacuation
Sprinklers triggered by the fire caused more of a disruption than the fire itself, but most activities and normal dismissal were not affected.
Flagler School Board Unanimously Approves 13 Deputies in Schools, Ending Tiff With Sheriff
The $1.8 million agreement almost splits costs between the sheriff and the school board and doubles the number of deputies in schools in the first post-Parkland massacre contract.
Flagler Beach Cool To Contributing Money, Palm Coast-Style, For Schools’ Resource Deputies
Palm Coast pays for an extra school resource deputy to defray the school board’s and sheriff’s costs, but Flagler Beach is reluctant to do likewise for now.
School Board May Revoke Palm Harbor Academy’s Charter as Serious Irregularities Surface
Palm Coast’s Palm Harbor Academy, one of two charter schools in Flagler, has struggled for most of its existence, and is accused of shifting students to a “private school” so they can avoid being tested.
Flagler Palm Coast High Thespians Go Big With ‘Little Mermaid’ and Again Raise Bar
For Local Musicals
The $18,000 production of FPC “Little Mermaid” is, Like Matanzas’s “Sherk” last month, giving Flagler audiences a new look at high school musicals that have little to differentiate them from professional productions.
Advice for High School Graduates: Learn a Trade
The shameful practice of tracking poor students into blue-collar jobs contrasts with millions of rewarding, high-paying trade jobs sitting empty.
Compromise Over School Deputies in Flagler, But Look Beyond False Security of “Hardening”
There’s an effective way to end the stalemate between the Flagler Sheriff and the school board over deputies in schools without breaking the bank or compromising security.
Rift Widens Between Sheriff and School Board Over Deputies’ Cost For Flagler Schools
At least an $88,000 rift divides Flagler’s sheriff from the school board as they negotiate to have deputies at every school come August. The divide may be larger when mental health money is included.
School District Seeks to Reassure Flagler Parents Disaffected Over Reorganization Involving 1,900 Special Education Students
The Flagler school district is cutting in half its so-called “staffing specialists,” or advocates for special education students, but says the change is for the better. Parents disagree.
With “Shrek The Musical,” Matanzas High School Mega-Production Aims To Make Everyone a Believer
“Shrek the Musical” at Matanzas’s Pirate Theatre Wednesday through Saturday is a huge, roaring production involving a cast and crew of 90, with a 20-piece live orchestra.
With Social Media Surveillance, Flagler School District Is Breaching Community Trust
With its contract with Social Sentinel, a social media snooping company, the Flagler school district is going into the secretive surveillance business for a much heavier cost than advertised.
Judge Rejects Local Districts’ Challenge of Controversial Law Shifting Money To Charter Schools
The controversy highlights continuing tensions between local school districts and the state about oversight and expansion of charter schools, which are public schools but are often run by private operators.
Two Flagler School Buses Involved In Minor Incidents In Thursday’s Afternoon Runs
Neither incident was serious, but at least one of them led to inaccurate rumors on social media that a weapon was involved: it never was.
Matanzas High School Girl Reports Being Raped By Another Juvenile at Her Home
An investigation is ongoing into the allegation of a rape of a 16-year-old girl after the alleged perpetrator asked to meet the girl to “catch up.”
Students Raise Concerns, But Flagler School Board Approves Social Media Surveillance
The Flagler County School Board Tuesday approved a three-year, $55,500 contract with Vermont-based Social Sentinel to troll eight different types of social media accounts.