Independent NewsPosts Tagged ‘Malcolm Thomas’
Districts across the state look at school safety
The Fort Walton Beach Daily News reports today on a survey regarding school resource officers in the 67 Florida counties that was recently released by the Florida Association of District School Superintendents. Every district has at least one SRO in it, and the majority of them have at least [...]
School District wants you to give your security ideas to principals
Superintendent Malcolm Thomas has formed, as I reported earlier this week, a campus security task force. His office issued this press release on it. He says that he wants public input, but he wants any ideas to be given to principals, not to the task force. It doesn't appear the any of the [...]
Thomas says school marshals may be in the future for Escambia elementary schools
Escambia County School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas told his school board at special workshop on Thursday that he has talked with local law enforcement about establishing a school marshal program to provide security for the elementary schools. The marshals would be primarily retired military, [...]
Superintendent Thomas and School Board to discuss security today at 3 p.m.
At its workshop today, the Escambia County School Board and Superintendent Malcolm Thomas will discuss school security. Chairman Jeff Bergosh has placed on the agenda a 10-minute discussion of "Enhancing Protection of Students and School Properties". Superintendent Thomas has 20-30 minutes on [...]
How safe are your kids at school? We don’t know
We asked the Escambia Public School District what schools have surveillance cameras and what schools have access control. We know that some do, but not all the schools. The school district refused to release the information. Dear Mr. Outzen: I have reviewed your public record request [...]
Escambia County losing high school students from year-to-year
There is good and bad news in the Escambia County's public school enrollment statistics. The district's enrollment increased by 174 students over the 2011-12 Fall enrollment. Since the fall of 2009, Malcolm Thomas' first full school year, the district has increased its enrollment by 59 kids [...]
School Board approves funds for deputies in elementary schools. Sigh, Okaloosa not Escambia
While Superintendent Malcolm Thomas is forming a task force on school safety, Okaloosa County is moving rapidly ahead on putting deputies in its elementary schools. And Okaloosa County is doing it with the cooperation of the county commission, school board and sheriff’s office. The Okaloosa [...]
First Grade and the Long Day
The Escambia County School District will be taking a couple of new approaches this next school year in an attempt to help students and schools that are behind the curve. A few of the district’s elementary schools are extending the school day an extra hour, while first graders may be held back if [...]
Buzz: Kennedy in Pensacola
The civil rights and racial discrimination issues with the Escambia County School District are spiraling out of Superintendent Malcolm Thomas' control. Attorney Mike Papantonio has confirmed that his firm is looking into the Escambia County School District. The State NAACP was in town last [...]
Appointments Called ‘Bogus,’ ‘Joke’
A number of administrative appointees appeared before the Escambia County School Board yesterday to thank Superintendent Malcolm Thomas for their assignments. None of them were black. “It’s a joke,” said Ellison Bennett, president of the local chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership [...]
Dixon and the District and the ‘Steep Hill’
School district officials wanted to shut it down. It was $100,000 in the hole and labeled as “failing” by the state. But a semester down the road, A.A. Dixon Charter School of Excellence is still striving toward its goal. The Escambia County School District gave the charter one academic year [...]
Lunch with Malcolm
Tying community-involvement with students to their success in school—and life— Escambia County School District Superintendent Malcolm Thomas challenged people to become actively involved with youth. Speaking to a United Way Emerging Leaders lunch crowd today, the Superintendent laid out a [...]