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THE
FLORIDA PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM
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Child
Welfare Official at DCF charged with child porn
Florida - Feb 2008: A spokesperson for the
Department of Children and Families
(DCF) is facing eight child pornography charges. Al Zimmerman was arrested
on child porn charges. Investigators say that he solicited at least two victims between the ages of 16 and 17 years old to create
and distribute child pornography. Zimmerman, had been with DCF for nearly two
years. A March 2006 evaluation from DCF praised Zimmerman: "Local reporters trust that he will be open and honest in his response to their inquiries. Although he assumed the role with little or no knowledge of the DCF programs, he has educated himself and developed an understanding of all programs and business processes," the
evaluation said.
The Florida
Abuse Hotline, the department responsible
for evaluating and investigating child abuses in Florida,
falls under the Department of Children and Families
Phone: (850) 487-2920 Fax: (850) 487-2239
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Public School
Educator
duties to PARENTS not written in Laws
There's
no legal definition, defined relationship or disclosure of duties for Florida Public School Educators
to Parents. How should a teacher or
principal deal with a concerned parent and where are these duties of
professional conduct outlined? Is it appropriate for educators to avoid
meetings, emails & phone calls or when the district chooses, they
refer the troubled parent to their attorney and sever relationships with
them entirely?
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Florida
Statutes Chapter
1002 deals with
Student and Parental rights, but no mention is made of the above
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Florida
Statutes 1002.23
deals with the Family and School Partnership Achievement Act which is
about the 'Parent Guide Book', parent empowerment, collaboration with
parents. No mention of duties of educators to parents.
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Florida
Statutes 1012.28
deals with duties of school principals, but the word 'parent' isn't
mentioned
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Florida
Statutes 1012.796
deals with complaint about teachers & administrators, but the word
'parent' isn't mentioned
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FLDOE
'Code of Ethics'
- Mentions 'parents' once and says "Aware of the importance of maintaining the respect and confidence of one's colleagues, of students, of parents, and of other members of the community, the educator strives to achieve and sustain the highest degree of ethical conduct."
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FLDOE
'Teacher Misconduct'
- Doesn't involve duties of teachers to parents at all
Filing a complaint
against a Florida Public School Educator is easy on FLDOE's website
through the
Bureau of Professional Practices Services,
but the bureau has
no teeth, because there is no law defining the responsibilities of
educators to parents.
CALL YOUR
SENATOR AND CHANGE THE LAW >>FL
SENATORS<< Florida Senator bulk Email
>>
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How Florida Public Schools
will shut-down an involved parent
The Florida Public Schools 'Parent Guide'
>>Example
Download
Guide<<
encourages parents
to be persistence in dealing with administration, especially when one has
'difficulty reaching your child’s teacher to set up a conference time,
keep trying and don’t give up' and to 'approach the teacher in person to
schedule the conference'.
Under
'Legal Rights' it's written 'The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects all Americans’ right to free speech. As a school parent, you have the right to speak out on any
issue, pass out printed materials to others, form a group, and hold a peaceful demonstration.'
On the surface it looks harmless, but...
This
is how Florida Public School's administration will shut-down an involved
parent >>Download
Letter<<. It's
their way to make communications very difficult for a parent. Keep in mind
that those in the company of the student are now considered CAREGIVERS
under the definitions of Florida Statutes Chapter 39
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Reporting
abuses in Florida Public Schools
In
the past
Florida Public Schools Personnel weren't investigated by the Florida Abuse
Hotline 1-800-962-2873, they were protected by the law, but because of pressure from websites like this,
after more than 10 years, they changed.
Even
by 2008, Florida Public Schools failed to mention Florida Abuse
Hotline 1-800-962-2873 in their 'Parent Guide' books >>Download
Guide<< All Parents need to
be aware that they can report abuses committed by educators to the
hotline.
NEW
2007 Florida Statutes Chapter 39
- PROCEEDINGS RELATING TO CHILDREN - NOW READS
47) "Other person responsible for a child's welfare" includes the child's legal guardian, legal custodian, or foster parent; an employee of
any school (Was
previously only private schools), public or private child day care center, residential home, institution, facility, or agency; or any other person legally responsible for the child's welfare in a residential setting; and also includes an adult sitter or relative entrusted with a child's care.
See
Florida Health and Human Services Department of Children and Families http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/abuse/
details on the Florida
Abuse hotline
THE
OLD 2005 VERSION OF Florida Statutes Chapter 39 - (47) "Other
person responsible for a child's welfare" includes the child's legal
guardian, legal custodian, or foster parent; an
employee
of a private school, public or private child day care center,
residential home, institution, facility, or agency; or any other person
legally responsible for the child's welfare in a residential setting; and
also includes an adult sitter or relative entrusted with a child's care.
For the purpose of departmental investigative jurisdiction, this
definition does not include law enforcement officers, or employees of
municipal or county detention facilities or the Department of Corrections,
while acting in an official capacity.
Under the 2005 laws,
even if a public school employee sexually abused your child, your only
recourse was a complaint to the Police or a complaint to the School Board.
(See
Teacher Neglect)
The
Florida Abuse hotline 800-962-2873 didn't
investigate any Public School Personnel under the 2005 laws. The
Florida Abuse hotline falls under the Florida Department of Children and
Families (DCF). DCF's website failed to show that both PRIVATE &
PUBLIC school (Item B5 Download)
employees or volunteers fall under 2007 Florida Statutes Chapter 39
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Collier school district settles RACIAL & SEXUAL
discrimination lawsuit
March 22, 2008
The Collier County School District paid $50,000 to settle
discrimination lawsuits brought forward by three custodial employees at
Tommie Barfield Elementary School. According to the
lawsuit, Shea “inappropriately touched (Rodriguez’s) buttocks in an
unwelcomed, sexually harassing manner” in August 2004. Corrective
actions have not been taken to prevent the conduct, according to the suit.
>>FULL
STORY<<
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'Excused Absence'
for Religious Days off, shown as 'Absent' on student transcripts
This is a human rights
issue where schools nationally are prejudicing transcripts and
not offering religious students awards for good attendance >>Sample
Transcript Download<<
Florida
Statutes indicates that 'excused absences' from schools are defined by the
district school board (Below is Collier County's Code of Conduct
relating to 'excused absences' ) But, the FDOE
established their own 'State Attendance Manual' >>Download<<.
The FLDOE interpreted Rule 6A-1.044 >>Download<<
as 'any student must be counted as absent who is not physically present at
school..'
However,
Rule 6A-1.044 says: (4) Attendance of all pupils must be maintained during the one hundred eighty (180) day school year or the equivalent and
summer school when applicable as provided by law and rules of the State Board shall be required, except for absence due to illness,
or as otherwise provided by law.
The law that protects the
practice of religion is the First
Amendment - Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
'THE FREE
EXERCISE THEREOF' - FREEDOM WITHOUT PENALTY
2007
Florida
Statutes
- 1003.23
Attendance records and reports
1003.26
Enforcement of school attendance: 1) CONTACT,
REFER, AND ENFORCE.-- (a) Upon each unexcused absence, or
absence for which the reason is unknown, the school principal or his or
her designee shall contact the student's parent to determine the reason
for the absence. If the absence is an excused absence, as defined
by district school board policy, the school shall provide
opportunities for the student to make up assigned work and not receive an
academic penalty unless the work is not made up within a reasonable time.
COLLIER
COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS CODE OF CONDUCT >>Download<<:
No person in this district, shall, on the basis of race, national
origin, sex, disability, marital status, religion,
or age, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits
of, or be subjected to discrimination under
any education program or activity, or in employment conditions or
practices conducted by The District School
Board of Collier County.
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Florida
Class Size Amendment - Trying to improve quality of teaching
Article IX, Section 1, Florida Constitution
: To
assure that children attending public schools obtain a high quality
education, the legislature shall make adequate provision to ensure that,
by the beginning of the 2010 school year, there are a sufficient number of
classrooms so that: << Download
>>
FLDOE
(The
Office of Educational Facilities)
established the minimum square footage per student allowed in each classroom.
FLDOE says now that these are only 'RECOMMENDATIONS' and not requirements.
There has been a lot of resentment and negativity by schools state-wide about these new regulations, designed to improve our failing Florida School System, because it requires them to employ more
teachers and have more classrooms for the same amount of students. It costs them more money and they're hating it.
Lee County Schools fined for not complying with classroom size
By Daily News staff and wire reports
- Monday, February 4, 2008
The Lee County School District was one of 14 school systems facing penalties for not meeting classroom requirements.
The State Board of Education ruled Monday that Lee County will be docked $27,716 for its operational budget and into capital outlay for such things as building more classrooms.
County school districts with at least one noncomplying school were fined. Lee County suffered the fourth largest fine. The particular school or schools in question were not named.
Less than one percent of traditional Florida public schools are in line for financial penalties for failing to meet Florida's class size reduction requirements after State Board of Education rulings Monday.
The board ruled 31 public schools were out of compliance for not meeting class size requirements, including schools in 14 of Florida's 67 school districts.
The board recommended the schools be penalized by having a total of $475,324 rerouted from their operational budgets, which include teacher salaries and supplies, to capital outlay for such brick-and-mortar solutions as building more classrooms.
The statewide teachers union and associations representing Florida's school boards and superintendents have urged lawmakers to repeal a law requiring the punishment, arguing deficient schools may need to hire more teachers rather than add class space to meet the size limits.
The schools facing penalties include 21 traditional and eight charter schools, public schools that receive tax dollars but are run by private organizations or public agencies other than school boards. They also include two traditional university-run laboratory schools.
That's 0.75 percent of all traditional public schools and 2.27 percent of charter schools. Another 57 schools that didn't meet class size reduction requirements were granted appeals on grounds including extraordinary growth, inability to hire sufficient teachers and data errors.
The Legislative Budget Commission, essentially a joint House-Senate committee, will have to approve the penalties later this month.
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FLORIDA SCHOOL BOARDS
ASSOCIATION
The
Florida School Boards Association threaten to sue the State Board of
Education to keep co-teaching and large class sizes because they say
"If school districts are to meet the 2010 deadline for
class size compliance, they need every available tool at their disposal." See >>Co-Teaching<<
By 2007, only
neighboring Collier County, had partnered with ICE (Immigration Customs
Enforcement) to fight illegal immigration in Florida >>See<<
Lee
County Public Schools
says that 1200 students recently left Collier County to Lee County. Could
most have left because of strict immigration enforcement in Collier County
and not in Lee County? >>Contact
Lee Sheriff to ask yourself<<
The sad truth in Florida is
that we are paying dearly for illegal students to attend our public
schools and while some may complain about the State's requirements, little
is being done to rid the system of illegal students
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Florida State
Requirements for Educational Facilities
<< Download
>>
SIZE OF SPACE AND OCCUPANT DESIGN
CRITERIA TABLE
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Pre K to 3rd Grade
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Max 18 students/teacher
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Min of 49 square
Feet/occupant
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Grade 4 - 8
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Max
22 students/teacher
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Min of 39 square
Feet/occupant
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Grade 9 - 12
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Max 25
students/teacher
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Min of 32 square
Feet/occupant
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FLORIDA
FIRE PREVENTION CODE
>>Download
the fire codes: Min square feet/student for Educational Use<<
“Net Floor
Area: The floor area within the inside perimeter of the outside walls, or the outside walls and fire walls of the building under consideration with deductions for hallways, stairs, closets, thickness of interior walls, columns, or other features.”
Educational
Use : Classrooms = 20 sqft
net/student
Educational
Use : Shops, laboratories, vocational rooms = 50
sqft net/student
Access NFPA Fire & Safety codes >>here<<
and Florida Administrative Code >>here<<
Use Chapters 69a-58 and 69a-60 for schools
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Records of Discipline against
Educator Licenses
NOTE: Criminal Charges listed on this
site do not necessarily indicate the individual has plead guilty to, or
been convicted of the criminal offense.
Find Florida
Educators discipline record, some sexual, some violent at this >>website<<
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KISSIMMEE FLORIDA
School
officials avoid prosecution in Osceola child-abuse case
By
Associated Press April
23, 2004
KISSIMMEE
— A principal and a school district investigator won't be prosecuted for
failing to report a teacher's suspected molestation of four students.
Charges filed last May against Kissimmee
Elementary principal Kenneth Meyers and Sonia Drudge of the Osceola County
School District were thrown out Tuesday after a judge ruled state law
did not require them to immediately report the suspected abuse to a state
hotline.
The reason:
The
suspected abuser, Matthew Rossillo, was a teacher and not a parent or
guardian.
Osceola County Judge Jon Morgan cited a
1993 change removing a requirement that suspected abuse by public-school
employees be reported to the state Department of Children & Families
hotline. The law does require suspected abuse by private-school teachers
to be reported immediately, according to Morgan.
Meyers, Drudge and a third district
official were charged with one misdemeanor count of failing to report the
abuse after Kissimmee police said authorities weren't notified until three
days after allegations were made that a second-grade teacher molested
girls in his classroom.
Charges against human-resources director
Lissa Bobet were dropped in September after she completed a diversion
program. Bobet resigned in January.
Rossillo, 26, faces four counts of lewd
and lascivious molestation on a child under age 12 and is scheduled to go
on trial Aug. 2
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No
tolerance for Disability issues in Schools |
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Many Florida schools do not
follow American Disability (For ADA see US
Department of Justice)
requirements. A simple inexpensive conversion from a round door handle to
a lever type door handle, has not been changed for over 10 years, since
the ADA was made law. Because government has not enforced ADA requirements
voluntarily, it waits on private sector lawsuits to take the appropriate
action.
Parents file federal
complaint against Collier County school district
Naples
Daily News 23 Feb 2006
“Not only has the
(Collier County School Board) continued to discriminate against Derek and
violate his civil rights under the (Americans with Disabilities Act), but
they have utilized coercion, intimidation and delay tactics to interfere
with Derek’s right to due process under both the IDEA (Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act) and (state statute) Section 504, in attempts
to pressure the (Hugheses) to abandon all due process rights,” according
to the complaint.
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FLORIDA PUBLIC
SCHOOLS
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