- April 26, 2024
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The Flagler County school district won't be participating in the state's guardian program this year.
District Safety Specialist Tom Wooleyhan reported to the School Board at a Sept. 6 workshop that the Flagler County Sheriff's Office would need to apply by Sept. 15 for a $6.5 million grant to pay for guardian training and supplies.
Wooleyhan said the sheriff's office was notified of the deadline on Friday, Sept. 2, the last day before the Labor Day weekend.
Wooleyhan, Sheriff Rick Staly and Commander Jason Neat presented information about the guardian program to the board at the its information workshop on Aug. 16.
The board was to discuss at a future workshop how many guardians it would assign to support the School Resource Deputies on each campus.
Other details that needed to be decided were whether the guardians would be new hires or current district employees; whether they would carry their weapons openly or have them concealed; and whether they would wear a uniform or be in plain clothes.
Wooleyhan said the sheriff's office could submit an application by the Sept. 15 deadline to reserve a spot for the grant money, but the board would be free to turn down the grant if it decided not to participate in the program this year.
School Board member Jill Woolbright proposed that the board ask the sheriff's office to submit the application.
"It doesn't cost us anything to move forward," she said.
Board attorney Kristy Gavin said once the state has exhausted its grant money, applications won't be accepted again until next school year.
"If we submit, we have an opportunity," she said.
Board members Cheryl Massaro and Colleen Conklin preferred to wait until the 2023 to 2024 school year.
"I don't see how we can do it. We don't have all the information," Conklin said.
Board Chair Trevor Tucker sided with Massaro and Conklin, saying it wouldn't be fair to force the sheriff's office to go through the application process if the district is not ready to make a decision for the current school year.
"I'd rather have our ducks in a row first. I'm not in favor of asking the sheriff to do something when we don't know if we want to do it, or if we can afford it."
— TREVOR TUCKER
"I'd rather have our ducks in a row first," Tucker said. "I'm not in favor of asking the sheriff to do something when we don't know if we want to do it, or if we can afford it."
With three board members deciding to tell the sheriff not to submit an application, the board essentially chose to hold off on the program for at least a year. Board member Janet McDonald did not attend the workshop. Woolbright, a supporter of the guardian program, said the board missed out on an opportunity.
"I asked that we workshop this months ago," she said. "So it's a shame that we ended up where we are."
BUS DRIVER SHORTAGE
The district began the year with a full complement of bus drivers, but now it is short of drivers, according to the district's latest personnel report. As a result, many buses have arrived late so far this school year.
Six drivers and a trainee have resigned while another has requested leave. Four new drivers have been hired.
Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt said drivers are now receiving competitive salaries but some are choosing other work and right now the transportation department does not have a large pool of fill-in drivers.
Dave Freeman, the district's chief of operational services, said the district will host a job fair at the end of the month with the primary focus on bus drivers.
GYM EQUIPMENT DONATED TO BTSRC
Fitness One, which has gone out of business, is donating its equipment to non-profits, including the school district's Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club. The Club will receive $46,830 worth of gym equipment.
Joshua Walker, the district's coordinator for community services, said all of the weightlifting equipment is pin-loaded except for a rack of small dumbbells.
CONSTITUTION DAY
The agenda workshop included a proclamation that was scheduled to be read at the Sept. 20 School Board meeting but would have been out of date by then. The proclamation recognizing Sept. 17 at Constitution Day in Flagler Schools would be out of date by the board meeting, so Tucker read the proclamation at the workshop.
The proclamation noted that "it is a privilege and duty of all Americans to commemorate the 235th anniversary of the drafting of the Constitution of the United States of America with appropriate ceremonies and activities." And, "Flagler Schools recognizes the importance of teaching our students about the Constitution and Bill of Rights."
