Two years after Flagler County schools ended her stellar 12-year teaching career over a 15-second TikTok video of her dancing with some of her sixth-grade students to the sound of Lizzo and an errant, barely audible four-letter word that many students sing or mouth a dozen times a day, Abbey Cooke has signed a settlement agreement with the state, neither admitting nor denying guilt, and preserving her teaching license.
The agreement issued by the Education Practices Commission calls for a two-year probationary period, not retroactive to 2022, which Cooke found excessive and unnecessary: never contesting that including the Lizzo split second from the song “About Damn Time” was a misjudgment, Cooke had expected a letter of reprimand at most, especially from Flagler schools, where the matter would have ended, as her teaching there would not have.
But the district then as now was in the grip of vindictive school board members and fearful administrators quick to the warpath, as then-School Board member Jill Woolbright was when she got wind of the TikTok Cooke had made, by way of a Belle Terre Elementary teacher who didn’t have a child in Cooke’s class, but who made sure the children’s parents got wind of it, too. Inappropriately, but effectively (school board members are barred by law to interfere in the day to day operations of a district), asked that Cooke be fired and the video reported to the state Department of Education.
Then-Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt, fighting for a job she would lose anyway, complied. Cooke, a former Teacher of the Year without a blemish on he record, was escorted off campus at Belle Terre Elementary, as if she were a threat to students.
Of course the TikTok video had been a pretext: Woolbright, who had the same retaliatory instincts as fellow-Board member Janet McDonald, had long wanted Cooke gone because Cooke was an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ students and she had spoken repeatedly and critically to and of the School Board on those issues.
School Board member Colleen Conklin’s reaction to Cooke’s firing, in a text to Mittelstadt outlizzoed Lizzo, summed up both the administration’s overreaction and the reigning atmosphere outspoken teachers contended with: “12 years of highly effective, including this year. Never any official reprimands. Teacher of the year. Great scores. Multiple years as a Florida High Impact teacher. 8 years as the 6th grade team lead. And we FREAKING FIRE HER! WE LITERALLY SUCK. THIS DISTRICT COMPLETELY SUCKS. We treat kids and teachers like shit and when teachers are brave enough to speak up for our most vulnerable kids we FUCKEN FIRE THEM!! Really!?!! I am so disgusted by this I can’t even comprehend that we did this. PATHETIC. I hope she SUES THE SHIT OUT OF OUR DISTRICT AND I HOPE SHE WINS. DISGUSTED BY WHO WE HAVE BECOME.”
Woolbright wouldn’t let go, emailing her board colleagues with what Conklin called her “silly culture war emails.”
“Students are fearful to tell their parents what happens at school, and staff is fearful of retaliation. You can choose to believe that or not,” Woolbright had written in an Aug. 19, 2022 email. To which Conklin answered: “I have heard from plenty of staff, teachers and students who are disappointed in the aggressive behavior shown by YOU. The retaliatory nature of some on this board who have gone out of their way demanding teachers be removed and disciplined, administrators admonished and disciplined and students targeted and disciplined differently than others is outrageous and crosses every line of a Board members responsibility. You need to take a good hard look in the mirror.” (Woolbright, who considered the district office to be full of “evil spirits,” lost her seat to Sally Hunt, who has said she is resigning, enabling Woolbright to angle again for a governor’s appointment back to the seat she lost.)
The text and exchange with Woolbright may explain at least in part why Conklin, on the board for 24 years, had had enough.
There would be no lawsuit from Cooke. She had various options, including contesting the firing through informal and formal hearings. She opted for the settlement, which includes a $750 fine and requires completion of an “Ethics in Education” course.
News of Cooke’s firing two years ago had the effect of black-listing her in the region. After what was officially termed a “release” from Flagler schools–her contract was not renewed, though obviously she’d been summarily fired–she went on a dozen interviews in Flagler County, was highly qualified for all the jobs she was applying for, and got none of them. In contrast, before the TikTok incident, principals were trying to woo her away from Belle Terre Elementary to go work at their schools.
She’s had to work three jobs simultaneously to support her family. She briefly worked for a charter school. She was diagnosed with PTSD. She now works in life insurance, but keeps looking to get back into teaching, where she feels she belongs. She just renewed her five-year teaching certificate, which was expiring in June.
“I miss having a job that feels like it matters. I miss feeling like I’m making a difference, a lot,” Cooke said in an interview today. “And I miss kids. I just miss kids. I don’t know. Our county is so small. It’s not like just because it’s been two years, and just because there was a settlement that means that I’m going to be marketable.”
The state Department of Education’s investigation included soliciting statements about her from her students. “Amazing teacher. I never had any issues with her.” Another: “She taught really well and 6th grade was my favorite year. I really liked having her as a teacher and I felt I could talk to her about anything. I had no problems or issues in her class. I don’t remember Ms. Cooke ever showing any TikTok videos in class.” Another: “She was rude when she talked sarcastic most of the time. it was to all of the class. I don’t remember her saying anything mean.” Another: “She always made us feel
comfortable no matter what. she always had our backs. i did not have a problems with her.”
The students had her back, too. The district did not.
TFKATE says
Abbey is a great human & I hope she has many (happy, uneventful) years of helping students ahead of her!
Pogo says
@Floriduh
Duncan says
Unbelievable what has become of this County, State and Country with all this MAGA conservative BS. I’m thankful my children were schooled outside of Flager County and Florida.
Good teachers are in demand, I’m sure Abbey will find employment, hopefully outside this ridiculous school district.
JOE D says
Good for Ms COOKE! Another ABSOLUTELY STUPID and VINDICTIVE waste of County (hint: the TAXPAYERS’) money to go try to fight an indefensible fight: “non renewal”of her contract (that means essentially “fired”), by the County and the State Board of Education.
Believe me, if you have a teacher that survives 12 years in Flagler County Schools, has great rapport with the students, has excellent student scores, and achieves a team leader position…the community should be “kissing her feet” to stay…so of COURSE what does Flagler County do….force her out of her job!?!
We deserve the teacher shortages we have, along with the nurse shortages, and other professionals (college professors and administrators) shortages….if you don’t treat good people fairly, they essentially “vote with their feet”…they take their professional skills elsewhere, where they are APPRECIATED and you are frequently left with those people who stay because they CAN’T leave because of the lower level of their skills….WAKE up Flagler County!
The definition of INSANITY is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a DIFFERENT OUTCOME! Looks like Flagler County Schools, the School Board and the State Education Department meet the diagnostic criteria for INSANITY…now if we could JUST come up with a way to TREAT IT!!!…maybe starting in November…
JimboXYZ says
Sometimes one can’t make it that easy for an employer to be rid of an employee. They’ll waste your life 5 days a week on the job or they’ll waste your life making you sit on the sidelines, quite often fabricating a reason with an overreasch. See there is no shortage of teachers in the USA, next teacher up. That’s the way the system works, qualify labor to be qualified, don’t blow your career over a silly Tik-Tok or lifestyle choice. Look at how many get sacked for less or even no cause ? The office politics of navigating a treacherous career. Working life is toxic at any employer. The names & faces change, the game(s) don’t.
No Political Affiliation says
As a former employee of Flagler County Schools, the actions and reactions of those in charge are what caused me to leave. I never got in any trouble whatsoever, but seeing how the average employee was treated on a daily basis for nonsensical reasons made me want to vomit. The county brass expects employees to “hold themselves to a higher standard”, while simultaneously poisoning the well with politics, nepotism, and and their own wild behavior. Morons banning books because reality doesn’t line up with their religious beliefs, no problem forcing their beliefs on us. People with zero experience in a field getting promoted to management positions over 6+ candidates with decades of experience each, who just happen to be best friends with the highest ranking people, “they can learn the job as they go!” Ever caught an admin having inappropriate relations with other faculty on school grounds? No you didn’t, because if you reported it that would be the end of your career. When are they going to be held accountable for their innumerable failures?
Jackson says
Florida Governor and his clown supporters are a disgrace.
Walk In Their Shoes says
What planet do you live on? No shortage? My husband’s daughter, who doesn’t even have a college degree, was hired recently as a substitute teacher because they can’t get enough qualified people to cover for all the ones who either quit or take days off because they are so burned out with all the nonsense! My mother (before retirement) was a highly respected teacher in another state, retired here and subbed a few times, and walked away shaking her head in disgust at the dysfunction. I got a teaching degree and admittedly couldn’t adjust to it so I went into another field. Teachers get far too little credit and ridiculously low pay for what they do and put up with! Try teaching middle school especially for a week and get back to me.
Judith Michaud says
Great News for Abbey, She is a wonderful teacher and loved by many. This whole thing is a result of MAGA invading our city ! People need to start researching all our local candidates as well as our national. A good place to start is reading the Republicans 2025. If you have a good brain, this should terrify you !
Disappointed B says
The day Flagler Schools actually clean house and get people who have agendas and grudges out of positions of power and the district period, then maybe it’ll become the high quality district it makes itself out to be.
JimboXYZ says
Same planet you live on. For the last 20-25 years, Google has pretty much existed. Everything they teach at school is online. All any student has to do is challenge themselves to read it & comprehend it. One doesn’t need to be spoon fed beyond say the 4th-6th grade. I didn’t have the internet, they had public libraries, same concept go read a book. Here’s something you may not want to hear, when I was prepared for the syllabus lesson plan for the textbook material for each class meeting, I didn’t have a poor teacher. I had a chance at succeeding. The reality is, it’s not a teacher’s job to make a subject interesting or entertain a child/student. It’s not their job to be the most popular teacher with the students at any given school either. Take learning to where one has a hunger, thirst & passion for excellence. The students that fail to do that, they’ll struggle at any point in their life to learn. What’s in the book are the rules for any subject in the game of life. Math is math, one comprehends or they don’t after reading & practicing.
Doug says
You guys should look into the situation with Mrs. Lacey N. from Rymfire. She completely transformed a struggling ASD class. The parents all loved her.. Her qualifications were unmatched (a Master’s degree and experience in social work, charity work, and developmental Psychology- all for an Elementary school teacher.)
But she reported something unethical at the school she worked at and now she has been “non-renewed” and clearly blacklisted. One of the parents went to the recent school board meeting and complained but was basically ignored
This article and some of the comments on it show that this is a pattern for this district apparently.
Joe says
Reply to:
JIMBOXYZ
Wow, as the ex husband of a career long CERTIFIED teacher, and the father of a younger Certified teacher that went into the IT field after 4 years ( tripling her teacher salary), you have NO IDEA what you are talking about beyond your OWN NARROW experience! If you were able to “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps,” that’s GREAT…but in your prior LAW ENFORCEMENT career, you should KNOW that not EVERYONE shares your experience growing up. SOME students struggle! The support of a teacher, FREQUENTLY is the ONLY source of emotional support some students get! LUCKY you if you weren’t one of them. But your rigid ideas on this column, and choosing the POWER of a law enforcement career, indicate otherwise to me as a retired Family and Child therapist.
Technically there might not be a shortage of educated teachers, but those that stay in the field are dwindling by the day.
And yes (depending on the local jurisdictions) you can be hired as a basic SUBSTITUTE TEACHER by graduating high school (yes)! However many substitute teacher are hired at the next level…those that have a BS or BA degree….in ANYTHING (yes, ANYTHING)! Those substitutes get paid at a higher level.
Schools are desperate for almost anyone with a pulse (sorry, that’s sarcasm…sort of).
Florida is quickly becoming the state where you don’t want your teaching career to land you.