Education

Broward County Has Three of Florida's Eight Lowest-Scoring Middle Schools

By Rich Abdill Tue., Jan. 31 2012 at 3:00 PM
Categories: Education, For the Kids
fl-doe.jpg
​The Sun Sentinel had a cheerful story today about the state's new education rankings -- "Broward Schools land at top of state rankings," read the online headline of the story, which notes that the county has three high schools in the top 20.

But what that story omits is that the county is also home to some of the state's worst-ranked schools: Of 583 Florida middle schools, for example, the county is home to numbers 576, 581, and 583. Broward Community Charter Middle School had the lowest standardized test scores in the state in the 2010-11 school year and was the only school on the list to receive a failing grade two years in a row.

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Broward Community Charter Middle School, Florida Department of Education, Imagine Charter Elementary School at North Lauderdale, Parkway Academy
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For the Kids

Boca Raton Teenager, ACLU of Florida Suing to Let Kids Donate More Money to Candidates

By Matthew Hendley Thu., Jan. 26 2012 at 3:14 PM
Categories: For the Kids, Politics
kid-money.jpg
Toddlers for Rick Scott.
​With the way campaign-financing laws are going these days, this may not even be surprising -- the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and a 17-year-old girl from Boca Raton are challenging a state law that prohibits minors from giving as much money to state and local political candidates as adults and corporations can.

According to the ACLU, the girl, Julie Towbin, got locked out of a Palm Beach County Democratic Executive Committee fundraising dinner last year because the $150 ticket price may have violated the state law limiting youngsters' political contributions to $100 (adults and corporations can donate up to $500 per candidate).

"The law goes overboard by restricting my ability to access the political process, effectively support candidates for office, and express my views as others do," Towbin says through the ACLU. "The state is violating a right guaranteed to me by the First Amendment -- the right to engage in political speech."

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ACLU of Florida, Boca Raton, Campaign Donations, Campaign Finance, Julie Towbin, Michael McAuliffe
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Crime

Kenneshia Thurman Almost Stabbed a Baby After She Was Denied Bread Slices, Cops Say

By Matthew Hendley Tue., Nov. 8 2011 at 8:51 AM
Categories: Crime, For the Kids
kenneshia-thurman.jpg
Monroe County Sheriff's Office
Kenneshia Thurman
​We've never heard a good excuse come from someone who nearly stabbed a baby, and two slices of bread sure isn't a good one.

Still, that's what the Monroe County Sheriff's Office says 18-year-old Kenneshia Thurman did last night.

Some time around 7 p.m. Monday, Thurman knocked on her neighbors' door in Marathon and asked the young couple for some bread -- two slices.

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Almost a Baby-Stabbing, Florida, Florida Keys, Kenneshia Thurman, Marathon, Monroe County Sheriff's Office
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Great Scott!

Rick Scott Busts Out the Flip-Flops Again, Says Pee Tests "Were Never About Money"

By Matthew Hendley Tue., Nov. 1 2011 at 2:25 PM
Categories: For the Kids, Great Scott!
ricky6.jpg
Saving taxpayer money? I don't recall.
​When things don't go Gov. Rick Scott's way, it's time to take off the loafers and put on the flip-flops.

First he promised 700,000 extra jobs for Florida over seven years, and after falling behind state projections, he tried to lie his way out of it by claiming he never promised that and saying, "I could argue that I don't have to create any jobs."

Now it's the welfare drug-testing. After the new law was slammed by a federal judge for several reasons -- including the fact that it won't save taxpayers any money -- Scott now says it was never intended to save anyone money.

We'll spare PolitiFact the time here and let you know that's bunk.

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Bullshit, Drug Testing, Flip-Flops, Florida, Rick Scott, TANF, Welfare Drug Testing
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For the Kids

Florida's Three-Strikes Law for Serial-Sexting Youngsters Takes Effect

By Matthew Hendley Mon., Oct. 3 2011 at 9:15 AM
Categories: For the Kids
phoner.jpg
zazzle.com
Stay in school, kids.
​Florida's bestiality ban wasn't the only law that went into effect Saturday that's of concern to current and future sex offenders -- the law lessening the penalties for kids caught sexting with other youngsters is also now on the books.

The old law stated that if you're a minor in possession of an explicit photo of another minor, you could still face a felony child pornography charge and become a registered sex offender for the rest of your life.

Now, if you're under 18 and caught with nudie pictures of someone under 18, it's a noncriminal violation -- the first time.

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Anthony Weiner, Florida Law, Joseph Abruzzo, Kiddie Porn, Phoner, Rick Scott, Sexting
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For the Kids

Broward County Commission Drops the Bong-Hammer on Youngsters

By Matthew Hendley Fri., Sep. 30 2011 at 10:59 AM
Categories: For the Kids
get-a-bong.jpg
superstoned.net
​Thanks to the Broward County Commission, youngsters under the age of 18 now have to get permission from Mom or Dad to buy a "smoking device."

All hope is not lost for the young potheads of Broward -- the commission didn't ban kids from buying apples.

The ordinance, sponsored by Commissioner Kristin Jacobs, may be the first of its kind imposed by a Florida county, according to Kimberly Maroe, the commission's public information officer.

Jacobs ended up showing some of the smoking devices people can buy to the rest of the commission, which included a few disguised as pens, highlighters, or tubes of lipstick.

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Bong Ban, Broward County Commission, Dale Holness, Kristin Jacobs, Marijuana, Smoking Devices, Weed
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For the Kids

Florida Senate Committee Report: Cut Arbitrary Juvenile Detention Sentences, Save Millions

By Matthew Hendley Mon., Sep. 12 2011 at 8:59 AM
Categories: For the Kids
kids_jail.jpg
babble.com
​The Florida Senate Committee on Justice -- in response to a request from Florida TaxWatch -- found that reducing sentences for youngsters in juvenile lockup facilities could save the state millions of dollars.

In the most conservative move -- reducing the length of stay for all juveniles by a week -- the committee estimates it would save nearly $4.7 million.

The most extreme plan, which would lower some sentences as much as three months, would save the state more than $44.2 million.

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Florida, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, Florida Senate Committee on Justice, Florida TaxWatch, juvenile detention center
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Law & Order

Former Hollywood Christian Academy Track Coach/Teen Sex Connoisseur Gets House Arrest

By Matthew Hendley Tue., Jul. 26 2011 at 12:00 PM
Categories: For the Kids, Law & Order
david-tillman.jpg
Broward Sheriff's Office
David Tillman
​David Tillman, the former Hollywood Christian Academy track coach arrested last year for sexing up a young girl on the team, pleaded guilty today to a reduced charge.

Instead of the initial lewd and lascivious battery charge dropped on Tillman, he pleaded guilty to a child-abuse charge -- which spares him prison time but will keep him on house arrest for a year, on top of four years of probation after that.

According to the probable-cause affidavits, Tillman and his uncle, then-29-year-old Raymond Holmes, picked up a couple of the girls from the track team at a McDonald's in March 2010.

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David Tillman, Hollywood Christian Academy, Raymond Holmes
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