FLAGLER COUNTY – The Flagler County School Board held an information workshop on November 18 at 1:00 p.m., covering topics ranging from student-led town halls and school enrollment growth to safety measures and wellness initiatives. The workshop, which did not include any votes, served as an opportunity for board members to share updates and discuss district matters before the evening’s regular meeting.
Teen Town Hall and Focus on Youth Coalition
Board member Lauren Ramirez opened the updates by discussing the Focus on Youth Coalition and its partnership with the district’s Virtual Teen Town Hall. The first virtual town hall meeting for middle and high school students was recently held, with the two student school board members hosting the entire event.
“It’s online virtual. It’s for middle school students, high school students, and it was really, really well attended,” Ramirez said. “Our two school board members, the students, hosted it. They did the whole show.”
The town hall focused on local threats and bullying, with Haley Harrison from the state attorney’s office joining the discussion. Students provided feedback requesting more engaging Wellness Wednesdays, more in-person discussions rather than virtual meetings, and real stories from students about their experiences with bullying.
Students also emphasized the need for better communication about Fortify Florida, the district’s anonymous reporting platform. “They love that we have it, but a lot of them mentioned that they would love for students to know more about it, like more accessibility, easier access,” Ramirez reported.
The Focus on Youth Coalition has an upcoming event scheduled for November 22 at Buddy Taylor Middle School.
Matanzas High School Growth
Ramirez reported that Matanzas High School’s enrollment has reached 275 students, exceeding projected numbers. The school completed an instructional review with another review scheduled for November 4. Recent activities included Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations, custodial appreciation day, a CTE ribbon cutting with over 30 visitors, and homecoming week.
The school has added two new positions, an ESE IR teacher and an ELA teacher, to support class size relief due to increased enrollment. Traffic flow improvements continue to be refined, with parents sharing positive feedback. The school recently held an ACE parent meeting and hired a new ACE counselor.
Belle Terre Elementary Updates
Belle Terre Elementary’s spirit sales through their online school store continue to grow. The school now has a golf cart and is running a coin war fundraiser through November 21 to let students name it. A fifth-grade dance raised over $4,000 in profit for the school.
The school’s carnival featured a dunk tank and cotton candy. Board member Janie Ruddy participated in the event, noting she was “covered head to toe with sugar” after working the cotton candy station.
Florida School Boards Association Activities
Ramirez reported that the Florida School Boards Association is preparing for its annual joint conference, scheduled for the first week of December. The conference will include a panel on governing AI in K-12 education. The association’s Day in the Legislature is scheduled for January 28-29.
Several new K-12 bills were filed recently, including proposals on multilingual state assessments, required patriotic displays in classrooms, and changes to liability limits for school districts. Ramirez reminded board members they have until December 31 to complete their required four-hour ethics training.
School Events and Community Recognition
Board member Ruddy addressed community questions about why not every school holds events like Flagler Palm Coast High School’s Bulldog Block Party at Carver Gym. She explained that every school has its own version of fall or holiday activities, whether fall festivals or other events, with principals having the flexibility to run events that fit their campus culture and student age levels.
November 20 is National Substitute Teachers Day. Ruddy noted that hourly wages for substitute teachers in the county are essentially the same as starting wages at fast food establishments. “When people take those roles and work as a substitute, they’re doing it because they love the kids, they love the mission, not for the pay,” she said. “We would have severe gaps in education without those substitutes.”
Community Losses
Ruddy recognized the recent passing of former Flagler Palm Coast student Malik Joseph, who was working toward becoming a mental health professional. A celebration of life ceremony was held in honor of the young alumnus.
The board also acknowledged the passing of Paula Romanelli, a longtime substitute teacher and lunch lady at Old Kings Elementary School. “The stories that were shared at the services about her and all those interactions that she had with students really brought that home,” Ruddy said. “But also all the staff, the way that she supported the staff and how she really just uh became kind of the matriarch of the cafeteria there, really giving them a sense of consistency and welcoming.”
The board observed a moment of silence for both individuals.
Safety and Security Discussion
Board member Christy Chong asked about reviewing policies related to security measures following recent threat assessment team meetings. She inquired whether such policy discussions should occur in public meetings or executive sessions to avoid revealing specific security strategies.
District legal counsel Mr. Delaney explained that while rule-making occurs in public, policies related to safety and security tend to be broad-based rather than detailing specific strategies. He suggested that conversations about the common board understanding of security issues could occur in executive sessions, while specific execution strategies fall under administrative procedures rather than board policy.
Superintendent LaShakia Moore confirmed that current board policies do not prevent the district from implementing any safety enhancements under consideration. “Based on anything that was discussed in a private meeting regarding safety, it would require us to change any of our policies,” Moore said, adding that state statute also governs many safety-related matters.
Fortify Florida Detailed Explanation
Following Ramirez’s comments about student interest in Fortify Florida, the board invited Director Boster to provide a detailed explanation of the system. Boster described Fortify Florida as an anonymous reporting platform that sends reports to both school officials and law enforcement simultaneously, with monitoring available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“It is required that all of our parents and students are provided training on how to access Fortify Florida at the beginning of each school year,” Boster said. The platform is embedded on all student-issued and staff-issued devices, and information is posted on monitors and posters throughout campuses.
Ruddy suggested improving visibility of the Fortify Florida link on the district website, noting it currently appears at the bottom of the page. “If there was a small visibility improvement, we could bring it up to the top at the banner level,” she said.
Ramirez emphasized the positive response from students at the teen town hall. “They were really talking about it and learning about more, and they’re like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe it does this,’” she said.
Boster noted that the district website includes additional information for parents about how to use Fortify Florida and the consequences for inappropriate use. Quarterly training ensures students know where to find the platform on their devices.
Wellness Center and Employee Benefits
Ramirez praised the district’s wellness center and its provider. “I really love what we’ve been doing with the wellness center. I can’t wait to see the data. It looks great so far, and I’m excited that our provider is so well-liked,” she said.
She also reminded employees with district insurance to check their emails about gym membership discount opportunities available through their health coverage.
Veterans Day Recognition
Board member Will Furry acknowledged the recent Veterans Day observance, praising the community turnout. “That was also such a great turnout. Great to see the community participating in that,” he said. “Just a great chance to honor our veterans. So I’m glad that Flagler schools could be a part of that.”
School Day Milestone
Superintendent Moore closed the workshop by noting that November 19 would mark the 70th day of school, encouraging staff and students to wear 1970s attire. She noted that November 18 was therefore the 69th day of school.
The workshop adjourned with board members preparing to reconvene for the regular business meeting that evening, which would include the board’s reorganization and election of a new chairman and vice chairman for the 2025-2026 term.
No votes were taken during the information workshop, as these sessions serve primarily for updates and discussion rather than formal action on district matters.
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