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Is District Investigator Dobbs incompetent?
I've been bothered greatly by the March 24 Report of Investigation by Escambia Public School District Investigator John Dobbs (Read report). Here's why: 1. Dobbs did not investigate the events of March 1, the day of the alleged sexual assault, according to this report. The guidance department, [...]
Community may not be buying Thomas’ report on Tate
If the intent of Superintendent Malcolm Thomas was to quell criticism, his March 24 report appears to be a dismal failure. Parents and community officials aren't buying the report as being independent. I spoke with a pastor today who is upset that the school officials didn't turn the [...]
Buzz: Who lied?
The Investigation Report by the School District's John Dobbs is very different from the earlier reports of the Escambia County Sheriff's Office. Last week, the senior staff of the ECSO spent over an hour briefing the PNJ on what happened at Tate High School when the school was informed on March [...]
Scott signs bill tying teacher pay to test scores, ends tenure
At KIPP Impact Middle School, a charter school in Jacksonville, Gov. Rick Scott signed Senate Bill 736, ironically named "Student Success Act," into law. The law phases out teacher tenure and it ties teacher contracts and pay primarily to his/her students' FCAT scores. GOP lawmakers tried to do it [...]
Thomas finds Tate and School District did no wrong
In memorandum from Superintendent Malcolm Thomas to the Escambia School Board members, the superintendent reported that school officials properly reported the alleged sexual assault at Tate High School and that they fully cooperated with law enforcement. The only admission of fault was that the [...]
Escambia School District needs to hire Eric Smith
Escambia County public schools need a CEO - Chief Education Officer. A great candidate is Eric Smith, the outgoing Florida Secretary of Education. Smith was hired in 1996 as the Superintendent of Schools in Charlotte, N.C. When he started the district had 22 failing schools, none when he left. [...]
Buzz: Thomas investigation to blame SRO
Buzz: Superintendent Malcolm Thomas is set to release March 24 the findings of his investigation on how he, his school district administration and Tate High School handled the alleged March 1 sexual assault at Tate High School. According to our sources, Thomas has already told the Escambia County [...]
DOE Secretary resigns
Statement from Eric Smith who announced his resignation as the Secretary of the Florida Department of Education: This past weekend, I informed the members of the State Board of Education of my intention to resign as Florida’s Commissioner of Education effective June 10, 2011, the last day of [...]
Answers to teacher merit pay questions
Orlando Sentinel put together this Q&A on the merit pay bill that recently passed the Florida Senate. My favorite: Does research show merit-pay plans boost student performance? Not necessarily. Several studies, most recently one from Vanderbilt University, have found that performance pay [...]
Inside Tate Assault: Superintendent’s quotes
Superintendent Malcolm Thomas has told the daily newspaper that he has started an investigation into the Escambia County School District's response to an alleged sexual assault by a 16-year-old boy on a 14-year-old girl during a reading class on March 1 at Tate High. The Escambia County [...]
DCF and victims older than 12
I did speak with Department of Children and Families about the reporting of child abuse. DCF generally doesn't get involved if the victim of child-on-child abuse is older than 12, unless there is also neglect by a caregiver or guardian. "Based on the information below (which is the statement [...]
Behind the scenes: Brownsville school deal
It may be premature to say the $1-million purchase of the closed Brownsville Middle School to George Hawthorne's Diversity Program Advisors is over, but it's one life support. Through a public records request of the School District, we have a series of emails between real estate agent Danny Zimmern [...]
Inside Tate Assault: Threats continue
The threats against the victim of the sexual assault at Tate High School will be allowed back on campus today, having served her suspension. I received an email late yesterday from one parent who is concerned about the 14-year-old's safety: "The word at school is 'XXX will get beaten to a pulp' [...]
Student death at Tate High
NorthEscambia.com is reporting that freshman Gabe Carter (age 15), reportedly began experiencing a seizure in a classroom and collapsed. The freshman was transported from the school by LifeFlight to West Florida Hospital where he was pronounced dead. When Carter collapsed, the school was placed [...]
Bergosh defends Tate actions
Escambia School Board member Jeff Bergosh and, according to him, the School District attorney Donna Waters believe Tate High School officials were not legally obligated to report to Florida Department of Children and Families the alleged sexual assault at Tate High School. This is what Bergosh [...]
Inside Tate Assault: Victim threatened
I have had two conversations with people concerning the victim of the sexual assault at Tate High School. The girl is rumored to have a history of sexual misconduct and there are people rallying around the suspect claiming the he is a good person and the girl was a willing participant. The law [...]
Ever’man offers to buy old School District offices
The School Board discussed earlier this week an offer made by Ever'man Natural Foods for the old School District offices on Garden Street. Superintendent Malcolm Thomas didn't bring the offer to the board because he thought it was too low. However, he still may do so next month without an [...]
Who is reporting sexual incidents in school district
The figures below are what the Escambia School District reported to the state and law enforcement for the 2009-10 school year--Florida Department of Education’s School Environmental Safety Incident Report. TOTAL REPORTED SEX OFFENSES INCIDENTS to LAW PENSACOLA HIGH [...]
Inside Tate Assault: Did officials break the law?
The moment the school officials were notified by a parent that a possible sexual assault, involving a 14-year-old victim, happened in a classroom at Tate High School, there were required by law to report the incident to Florida Dept. of Children and Families and law enforcement. Florida Statute, [...]
Inside Tate Assault: How not to investigate
This is the Part Two of my interview with the mother who reported the sexual assault at Tate High School. The mother agreed to the interview with the understanding that I would protect her and her son's identities. (Part 1) When she got off the phone from her son, the mother said that the hair [...]
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