• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2022
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

School Board Seals Agreement Reforming Disciplining of Black Students, Ending Civil Rights Complaint

June 16, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

oliva conklin splc
They have reason to smile: School Board Chair Colleen Conklin and Superintendent Oliva, the latter getting much of the credit for resolving the complaint from the Southern Poverty Law Center. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County School Board this evening voted 5-0 to ratify an agreement with the Southern Poverty Law Center that seeks to eliminate racial disparities in school discipline, resolving a federal civil rights complaint the center filed three years ago.


The board had essentially approved the agreement on June 3, but went through the formality of voting on it tonight.

Under the agreement, district approval will be required for suspensions of five or more days this coming school year, and for three or more days in the next school year, as the district attempts to phase out out-of-school suspensions entirely. The district will consider abolishing suspensions once an alternative school program is created. The district closed its alternative school during the recession, as a cost-saving measure. The school district and law enforcement also will work to reduce in-school arrests for minor offenses.

As a result, the SPLC will withdraw the complaint it filed with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights in 2012. That complaint – one of five filed against Florida school districts that year – described discriminatory policies that resulted in black students accounting for 31 percent of all out-of-school suspensions during the 2010-11 school year even though they were only 16 percent of the student population. Flagler County is the first of the five districts to resolve an SPLC civil rights complaint.

“This is a great day for students and families in Flagler County,” said Amir Whitaker, the SPLC staff attorney who’s made numerous trips to Flagler County and worked with local administrators to resolve the issue. He was at the board meeting tonight. “The Flagler County School Board has demonstrated with this agreement that it is committed to ensuring that no student is needlessly pushed out of school. We are excited to work with the schools and the district to introduce these new policies and improve education for Flagler’s 13,000 students.”

Schools are encouraged to consider alternatives to suspension and other harsh punishment under the agreement. Alternatives include peer mediation and an innovative restorative justice program. An existing committee that includes community members will be used to monitor discipline data and make recommendations to the district. It will hold quarterly public meetings to address district policies.

“Flagler County School District strives to be the premier learning organization,” said Kristy Gavin, school board attorney, in a news release issued by the law center. “Through our collaboration with the Southern Poverty Law Center, the changes that will be implemented will help the district in reaching this goal. Through outreach to community partners, like the Southern Poverty Law Center, we will continue to move in a positive direction to ensure a safe learning environment empowering students to reach their full potential in Flagler County.”

Other provisions of the agreement include a continuation of the schools providing informational programs about the district’s code of conduct and discipline to all students; and adding information programs to apprise families on the district’s code of conduct and expectations for all students. Regular discipline reports will also be made available to the community. School personnel will receive cultural competency and implicit bias training as well.

The SPLC is still pursuing federal civil rights complaints in Escambia, Bay, Okaloosa and Suwannee county school districts.

Flagler County Schools Settlement With Southern Poverty Law Center (2015)

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
You and your neighbors collectively read our articles about 25,000 times each day (that's not a typo) with up to 65,000 daily reads during emergencies like hurricanes. Flagler County residents rely on FlaglerLive for essential, bold and analytical journalism that cannot be found anywhere else. But we depend on your support. Please join our December fund drive! If you donate the cost of a scoop of ice cream, you will be helping us continue to provide comprehensive local news and honest, serious journalism for our community. If you can donate more or become a monthly donor, even better. Donations are tax deductible since FlaglerLive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donate by clicking anywhere in this box. Think of it as buying a scoop, in every sense of the term!  
All donors' identities are kept confidential and anonymous.
   

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Knightwatch says

    June 17, 2015 at 3:25 pm

    This is great news. We must always seek ways to improve our schools.

    Reply
  2. Michael says

    June 18, 2015 at 6:14 am

    So, only black students are affected by this? that is how the headline reads, but the story says “students”

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Advertisers

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents
  • WNZF Creekside Festival

Recent Comments

  • JC on Don’t Blame Us Seniors for the Affordability Crisis. Blame Developers.
  • bruces on Rezoning Enabling Up to 850 Homes in Seminole Woods Causes Sharp Debate Before Palm Coast Approval
  • Charles on 37-Year-Old Motorcyclist Killed in Rear-End Collison with SUV on I-95
  • Skibum on Don’t Blame Us Seniors for the Affordability Crisis. Blame Developers.
  • Bruces on 18-Month-Old Girl Killed by Gunshot in Palm Coast’s R-Section; Person of Interest Arrested on Unrelated Charge
  • DwFerg on Don’t Blame Us Seniors for the Affordability Crisis. Blame Developers.
  • Thomas Hutson on Palm Coast Council Member Steps Back from Malacompra Beach Annexation, Opting for ‘Different Options’
  • Dave on Palm Coast Council Member Steps Back from Malacompra Beach Annexation, Opting for ‘Different Options’
  • ban the GOP on Clarence Thomas Secretly Participated in Koch Network Donor Events
  • JustBeNice on Flagler County Approves Higher Taxes, Palm Coast Stays Level, But Claims of ‘Historic’ Rollback Are Inaccurate
  • Sgt. Sidanko on ‘Faith’ Bridge Over SR100 Goes from Maligned to Acclaimed as It Opens, But in the Absence of Its Champion
  • Celia M Pugliese on Palm Coast Council Member Steps Back from Malacompra Beach Annexation, Opting for ‘Different Options’
  • Randy Bentwick on Moms for Liberty: Joyful Warriors or Anti-Government Conspiracists?
  • Palm Coast Citizen on At Root of Palm Coast’s Affordable Housing Crisis: We Got Our Own. Screw the Rest. 
  • Palm Coast Citizen on At Root of Palm Coast’s Affordable Housing Crisis: We Got Our Own. Screw the Rest. 
  • The Sour Kraut on College Football Reflects America As it Really Is: Indefensible In a Civilized World

Log in