Category: Education
Buzz: Thomas may reduce or remove SROs
Superintendent Malcolm Thomas was overheard this past week discussing the school resource officers. He said that he was considering reducing the number of SROs or…
School property remains vacant
NorthEscambia reports the Carver/Century K-8 School, which the school district closed in May 2009, remains empty. After two years, the Escambia County School District has…
Bergosh blames media (me) for Tate furor
School Board member Jeff “Godzilla” Bergosh sees the Tate sexual battery as “Rock’em, Sock ’em Robots.” He believes that Tate officials did no wrong and…
Sex Offense not reported to FDOE
As I’ve written on this blog, Florida Department of Education is clear that sex offenses should be reported to the agency and law enforcement. We…
School District refuses to release info on sex offenses
The Escambia Public School District reported to the Florida Department of Education that it had 17 sex offenses in the 2009-10 school year. Of those…
Scott’s advisor Rhee caught in possible cheating scandal
As the District of Columbia’s former public schools chief, Michelle Rhee rode soaring student test scores to a national reputation as a model education reformer….
DOE says report all sexual offenses immediately
The Florida Department of Education defines sexual offense and sexual battery in its “Definitions for Incident Reporting” (Appendix P)—that is part of Volume I: Automated…
District handled 1995 sexual incident differently
From Pensapedia: Horace Jones is the former principal of Pensacola High School who was removed in 1996 for allegedly attempting to cover up the PHS…
PNJ: No Tate Cover Up
The PNJ has reviewed the alleged sexual at Tate High School, meeting with the ECSO and Superintendent Malcolm Thomas and determined that there was no…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
