School District of Palm Beach County

Boca Elementary Student Allegedly Molested By Fellow Student, Father's Suit Claims

A female student at Coral Sunset Elementary School in Boca Raton was repeatedly molested by another student, claims the girl's father in a lawsuit filed Monday. The boy also allegedly repeatedly sexually harassed and made inappropriate sexual comments towards the girl, according to the victim's fa ... More >>

Heath Miller: Two of the Band Teacher's Sexual Assault Victims Suing Palm Beach County School Board

Back in April of 2009, Heath Miller, a popular band teacher at H.L. Watkins Middle School in Palm Beach Gardens, was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting four of his eighth-grade female students. See also: A Popular Band Teacher Killed a Man, Then Was Accused of Raping His Own Students A ... More >>

Palm Beach County Schools to Get Police Aides

Palm Beach County Schools Superintendent Wayne Gent says that the county will add about 30 school police aides to increase security at schools. As it stands, the district will be spending about $400,000 to do so. See also: Palm Beach Mayors Call for Metal Detectors in Schools The district will al ... More >>

Teacher Allegedly Offered Cop Blowjob to Get Out of DUI Arrest

Mary Patricia Maloney, a seventh-grade science teacher at Palm Springs Middle School, was pulled over on Sunday after she hit another car and fled. The officer initially charged her with DUI, since she was not only allegedly driving drunk but crashed into another vehicle before fleeing the scene. M ... More >>

Diane Carle, Palm Beach Cat Lady: "I'm Not A Criminal." (New Times Exclusive)

Diane Carle is not an agreeable person. She's irritable. She's reclusive. She's slovenly. But according to Carle, who imprisoned 141 dead and dying cats inside her urine-washed home in one of the largest cases of cat-hoarding in Palm Beach history, she's no criminal. "I have no record," Carle of ... More >>

Diane Carle, Crazy Palm Beach Cat Lady, Imprisoned More Than 140 Cats In Urine-Washed Home

It took more than six months to coax Diane Carle out of her home. Authorities had heard complaints for weeks about all the filthy cats roaming her front porch, and no one had seen inside her house -- not ever. But when authorities finally obtained probable cause for animal cruelty and pried open th ... More >>

All But 8 Palm Beach County Schools Will Be Open Wednesday

Bad news, kids not living in Loxahatchee or The Acreage. After two-straight days of no school -- and one half day of not being sure what what would be decided -- the Palm Beach County School District says that all but eight schools will be open Wednesday. The schools that will remain closed on Wed ... More >>

Citigroup to Palm Beach County School District: Pony Up!

Fire Ant -- an invasive species, tinged bright red, with an annoying, sometimes fatal bite -- covers Palm Beach County. Soon, his column will appear twice a week on The Pulp. Got feedback or a tip? Contact fire.ant@browardpalmbeach.com.Would the fine folks at an institution like Citigroup steal ... More >>

Frank Biden "Plans to Save the Country" With Mavericks High Schools

Frank Biden, younger brother of the man who is second in line for the White House, has a flair for the dramatic. Last year, he called the Mavericks High charter school in Palm Springs a "hope factory" and said its management company, Mavericks in Education Florida, was "on a mission from God."  ... More >>

Ten and a Half Important People Paid Less Than Palm Beach County Superintendent Wayne Gent

​The Palm Beach County School District approved a $225,000-a-year contract for Superintendent Wayne Gent last week. Gent was named interim superintendent last year after parents booted Art Johnson from the spot; now he's got the permanent gig. Oh -- and another $66,000-per-year pension that he get ... More >>

How a Palm Beach County Schools Detective Busted a Kiddie-Porn Downloader

​Palm City air conditioner salesman David Frederick Hayden was sentenced to 20 years in prison yesterday for receiving child pornography over the internet, and it was Palm Beach County Schools Det. Stephen Santos who helped put him there.It started in late March last year, when Santos was "wo ... More >>

Palm Beach School Officials Recommend Denying Three New Mavericks Schools (Updated)

UPDATE: Read about the School Board's vote after the jump.A New Times story prompted officials to ask questions.​Mavericks in Education Florida should not be allowed to open three more charter high schools in Palm Beach County, school district officials say, because the for-profit company's claims ... More >>

Top Four Racist YouTube Rants by Stupid Young People

​The Palm Beach County School District is all atwitter today over a racist video posted to YouTube by two girls from Santaluces High School. We'll never know what made them think it was a good idea to post a public video on the internet saying, "I don't like black people. They're annoying. They st ... More >>

School Bus Cameras: A Whole New Way of Getting Tickets

​A big yellow school bus could be the source of your next traffic ticket. Officials with the School District of Palm Beach County are weighing whether to install high-def cameras on buses to nab the license plates of drivers who ignore those little stop signs that extend f ... More >>

Mavericks High Assistant Principal Was Investigated for Misconduct in Kissimmee

​Here's the leadership team at Mavericks High School in Palm Springs: Principal Thomas Lockett is not certified to teach in Florida and has a background in pharmaceutical sales. Assistant Principal Tisa Brandon came to Palm Springs from the Osceola County School District, where she was investigate ... More >>

Delores Brown Arrested, Charged With Stealing $25,000 of Elementary School Furniture for Her Funeral Home

​The Palm Beach County School District is having a rough year. Since last June, it fired one janitor when he was found naked in an orchestra closet, investigated another janitor who was discovered urinating in a supply room, had a teacher quit after being busted sleeping with a student, and fired ... More >>

Leon County School Board Approves New Mavericks High School

​Perhaps the people in Tallahassee don't read much on the interwebs. Or maybe they don't mind entrusting their kids' education to a team of real estate developers. Whatever the reason, the Leon County School Board has decided to approve a new Mavericks High charter school.Mavericks in Education Fl ... More >>

Palm Beach School Board Member Chuck Shaw's Ties to Mavericks Charters

pr.comFrank Biden joined other Mavericks employees in donating to Shaw's campaign.​When the Palm Beach County School Board approved a new Mavericks High charter school this February, one board member abstained from the vote. Chuck Shaw, the former principal of the JFK Medical Center Charter School ... More >>

Palm Beach County Officials Announce More Kids Arrested in High-School Narc Operation

That's nice kids, now go to jail.​The Palm Beach State Attorney's Office, the Palm Beach County School District's police chief, along with other law-enforcement officials were proud to announce today that they've arrested more kids."Operation D Minus" nabbed 12 students for drug charges this t ... More >>

Palm Beach School Officials "Concerned" About Mavericks Charter Schools Track Record

maverickshigh.comMavericks in Homestead graduated very few seniors.​Palm Beach County school officials are taking a closer look at the academic track record of Mavericks in Education Florida, the local for-profit charter school chain headed by Frank Biden. They have not been thrilled with their fi ... More >>

UPDATED: Joe Biden's Brother Is President and "P.T. Barnum" for SoFla Charter School Chain

UPDATE: The Palm Beach County School Board's vote on three new Mavericks schools has been postponed. Read more after the jump.When owners of a for-profit charter school chain go before the Palm Beach County School Board tomorrow night seeking approval for three new high schools, they'll have a celeb ... More >>

Richard Russo, Ex-Teacher, Accused of Faking Payroll Sheets While He "Almost Died"

​Richard Russo, a former teacher for the Palm Beach County School District, has been charged with grand theft and official misconduct after allegedly submitting payroll sheets while he was hospitalized with a serious illness, according to the Palm Beach State Attorney's Office.A probable-cause aff ... More >>

Palm Beach County School District Has the Most Bullied Kids in the State

familiesonlinemagazine.com​The Palm Beach County School District apparently has a bunch of stinkin' meanies.According to some research by the Tampa Tribune, Palm Beach schools reported nearly 4,000 bullying incidents between 2008 and 2010, which is the most of any district in the state.To put that ... More >>

Palm Beach Schools: Principal, Naked Janitor Fired; Teacher Sleeping With Student Quits

giantbomb.comCaptain Jean-Luc Picard is not impressed​What a busy week for the Palm Beach County School District -- an elementary-school principal was fired after being accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of furniture, the janitor found naked in a storage closet was fired too, and a tea ... More >>

West Palm Beach Grandmother Gives 8-Year-Old's Teacher a Loaded Gun -- As a Gift

flickriver.comProbably not the teacher's pet​Apparently elementary school teachers don't like getting loaded guns as presents from their 8-year-old students or their grandmothers.Regardless, that's what Palm Beach County School District officials are saying happened at the Allamanda Elementary ... More >>

The Killing of Calvin Williams: If You're Black and Gay in South Florida, Down-Low Sex Is a Deadly Gamble

Suspect in Teacher Slaying Claims Sexual Assault, Echoing Accusation of Former Student

PBSOLawrence Hunt was charged with second-degree murder.​Riviera Beach police have finally arrested a suspect in the slaying of popular L.C. Swain Middle School teacher Calvin Williams. But the second-degree murder charge against Lawrence Hunt, 20, only raises more questions about the sexual cond ... More >>

Slain Teacher Was Accused of Exposing Himself to Student

Calvin Williams was never charged in the incident.​The popular middle school special ed teacher who was shot and killed last week in Riviera Beach was investigated five years ago for allegedly exposing himself to a high school student.While Calvin Williams, 41, was working as an assistant principa ... More >>

Morning Juice: Gardiner Leaves Bench; Fins Trade Down, Take Penn State Lineman

​Here's what's happening in Broward and Palm Beach:Broward Circuit Court Judge Ana Gardiner has decided to resign her post rather than face allegations of misconduct that were first reported by Bob Norman in New Times two years ago. Gardiner was to be tried by the Judicial Qualifying Commission fo ... More >>

Morning Juice: BSO Gets Deal in Pompano; Protests Over Education Cuts, Health Care

​Here's what's happening in Palm Beach and Broward:The Broward Sheriff's Office received a tentative agreement with Pompano Beach, but the commission approved a deal for just two and a half years, not five, and Sheriff Al Lamberti will have to demonstrate he can control salary increases and the co ... More >>

Morning Juice: Number of Local Students Missing in Haiti Grows; Clash Between Two Legal Luminaries in Broward

​Your daily look at the headlines in South Florida:A contractor working in Haiti was mistaken in reporting that three of the twelve Lynn University students who were there on a charitable mission had been found. So the number of missing students is back up to four, along with two members of the un ... More >>

Morning Juice: Aid to Haiti Trickles in; FPL Rate Hike Denied

​The catastrophe in Haiti dominates the headlines in South Florida and around the world:The Port Au Prince airport is now taking chartered flights and aid has arrived -- just nearly enough to meet the dire need for water and fuel. [New York Times]Lynn University in Boca Raton learned late last nig ... More >>

Morning Juice: Salesman Not Buying FBI's Case; Embattled Palm Beach School Official Stripped of Duty

​Here's what in the local news this morning:Local targets of the FBI corruption sting were apparently unimpressed by the case that was made against them. The same day that former Broward County School Board member Beverly Gallagher entered a not guilty plea to selling her office, former Miramar Co ... More >>

Morning Juice: Day of Infamy for Merhige; for PBC School Chief, Another Angry Mob

​Your balanced breakfast of South Florida scoops:Turbulence for the transgendered city manager of Lake Worth, Susan Stanton, after she published on the city's website 40 unsigned emails by residents railing against the political associations of the city's census coordinator, who then resigned, not ... More >>

Morning Juice: Rothstein's $57 Million Counterfeit; Florida Sits on Economic Faultline

​Your daily dose of news from around Palm Beach and Broward:The FBI's due to hold a press conference this morning to ask for public assistance in agents' ongoing investigation of Fort Lauderdale attorney Scott Rothstein. [Miami Herald]Curious about how Rothstein tricked Ed Morse into doling out $5 ... More >>

Morning Juice: Let's Try a News Round-Up Sans Rothstein

​Well, it's worth a try anyway. Here's what's going on in Broward and Palm Beach counties:The American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit against the state for its failure to provide Floridian family with a quality education -- a point for which the Palm Beach County School District drop-out rat ... More >>

UPDATED: Kiddie Porn Offender Alexander Scholling Shacks Up Opposite School Bus Stop

Scholling: There's no place like home.​WPTV reports today that the bus stop across the street from convicted sex offender Alexander Scholling's residence will be moved, thanks to a decision by the Palm Beach County School District yesterday.Alexander Scholling, the Tequesta man who was arrested in ... More >>

Morning Juice: A Bloody Mess in Local School Boards

​A tour of South Florida headlines on this Friday morning:The state appears to be question the finances of the state's blood banks, including the local Community Blood Centers, where disgraced Broward County School Board member Beverly Gallagher landed work with the help of a lobbyist. [Sun-Sentin ... More >>

Jeb Bush Presidential Bid Still Lacks Buzz

​As parents in the Palm Beach County School District tries to roll back Jeb Bush's shameful legacy of FCAT drilling, the former Florida governor is roaming around, looking to get his voice heard, apparently to gauge interest in a 2012 run for president (though he'd never admit that).Bush made a ve ... More >>

Morning Juice: One School Board Wrestles With Corruption; the Other With Curriculum

​The headlines in Broward and Palm Beach:Investigators are circling Bruce Chait of Prestige Homes -- and not just for the developer's hiring of Broward School Board member Stephanie Kraft's husband. Tamarac Mayor Joe Schreiber has alleged that Chait offered a $200,000 bribe in exchange for Mae Sch ... More >>

Morning Juice: Broward School Board Considers Nuclear Fallout; "Smell-a-Vision" Maybe Bad Idea

​The news this morning in South Florida:At last night's Broward County School Board meeting, members discussed a refresher course on ethics. So... like that safety meeting the Soviets had after the meltdown at Chernobyl? [Miami Herald]Crist is going to demand the state review loopholes that allow ... More >>

Lawyer Scott Rothstein Goes on the Attack Over Media Coverage of His Friends

High School Sexical

Was Andrew Foster's drama club a clique for creative students — or a cult?

Cover School Board, Become A Star

Blubber for Cash

Bucking the health food tide: This middle school says, "Let 'em eat dougnuts."

The Littlest Felons

Book 'em, Dano! "Superpredators" with pebbles and raw eggs get zero tolerance in Palm Beach County schools.

Culture Wars

Follow this leader and your kids will obey their masters and join lockstep with God. Or else.

Fish Out of Water

Excessive Farce

The Palm Beach County school police force is charged with protecting schoolchildren, not endangering its female officers

Blackboard Bungle

In an era of overcrowded classrooms, who would build a school in a town with no children? The Palm Beach County School Board, that's who.