Volusia County teacher, gym coach suspended after accusations of sexual relationship with student
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. โ Volusia County School officials have released a statement after a high school teacher was arrested. Port Orange police said Arin Hankerd had a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student at Atlantic High School. Officials said Hankerd has worked at the school as a teacher and gym coach for about two years. Watch: College Board releases statement about Floridaโs rejection of AP African American Studies courseHankerd was at Mainland High School and Father Lopez Catholic High School before that. The district confirmed Sunday night that Hankerd has been suspended indefinitely.
wftv.comDaytona State College receives $1.4 million to launch program with Mainland High School
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. โ The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Daytona State $1.4 million to create the Upward Bound program with Mainland High School that will help underserved and first-generation 9th through 12th graders transition from high school to college. The program begins this Fall and will support up to 60 students annually. Read: Department of Education releases beta version of student loan forgiveness applicationActivities will take place during the school year and during the summertime. Students who meet participant requirements can receive a monthly stipend and will experience life on the college campus during the summer academy. Video: Families of bullied students find hope with Florida scholarship program Since it started in 2018, a Florida program has given 1,800 bullied students a fresh start in a new school of their choice.
wftv.comCentral Florida schools consider increased security in wake of gun scares, threats
WINTER PARK, Fla. โ Yet again, Central Florida police are investigating a security threat at a local school. Now, staff at Winter Park High School are dealing with a student with a gun on campus. Watch: Winter Park High student, 15, accused of bringing gun, bullets to school in backpackWhen word of the lockdown spread, parents rushed to Winter Park High School on Wednesday after receiving texts from their children inside the school. We found out officials will do walkthroughs at 10 middle and high schools by this Friday. They also plan to go through each schoolโs safety plans with law enforcement and will be ordering metal detectors.
wftv.comVolusia County leaders put more safety measures in place following gun rumors at high school
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. โ Volusia County school leaders are putting in place more safety measures following rumors of a gun on the Mainland High School campus sent students running in a panic. Police called it a โcruel prankโ coordinated by students. Some of the things school leaders are doing now include walkthroughs at 10 middle and high schools by Friday, and running through each safety schoolโs safety plans with law enforcement. READ: Police: โCruel prankโ led to panic at Mainland High School FridayThe district also said it would be ordering metal detectors, but is still working out details of how many, where and when. READ: โFalse alarmโ: No threat found after emergency button activated at Mainland High, police sayโThe Mainland incident was a catalyst to help us as a school district examine our processes and systems in place to keep our students safe,โ School Board Chairman Ruben Colon said.
wftv.comStudents at Daytona Beach High could face criminal charges after prank involving gun
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. โ Daytona Beach police say some students coordinated a plan to create panic at Mainland High School on Friday. Investigators say an employee hit the school panic button after a student told her someone had a gun. Police said it was a cruel prank that could now end with expulsion or criminal charges for some students. They said a group of girls walked up to a staff member to report the gun, causing the others to run from their spots. The state attorneyโs office says it will evaluate whether those students will be charged as adults if it gets the case.
wftv.comSocial media threat prompts enhanced security Monday at high school in Seminole County
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. โ Officials at Lyman High School in Seminole County said they are addressing a โnon-credibleโ threat made on social media. Read: Police: โCruel prankโ led to panic at Mainland High School FridaySchool leaders said they were notified Sunday night of a threat to Lyman High School. School administrators and law enforcement quickly identified the source of the threat and made contact, officials said. โAppropriate disciplinary and legal action will be applied.โRead: E-PASS offers new discount program for Central Florida driversOfficials said additional law enforcement and heightened security will be present on campus out of an abundance of caution. Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, and click here to watch the latest news on your Smart TV.
wftv.comPolice: โCruel prankโ led to panic at Mainland High School Friday
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. โ A โcruel prankโ led to the panic at Mainland High School Friday, Daytona Beach police said. According to an updated release Sunday, detectives have concluded that the panic was organized by several students. Mainland High School officials were notified that a threat was posted on a bathroom stall Thursday. Read: โFalse alarmโ: No threat found after emergency button activated at Mainland High, police sayDBPD looked over surveillance footage and saw that two students had entered the bathroom where the graffiti was found. Video: Man tried to lure children into his car at Mascotte school bus stop, police say Police in Mascotte are searching for a person who tried to lure two kids into a car.
wftv.comMainland High School on lockdown after emergency button activated, police say
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. โ Daytona Beach police are responding to Mainland High School after an alert was sent out Friday afternoon. Watch: Polk County sheriff says 160 arrested in 7-day human trafficking investigationPolice said an emergency button was activated at the school. Read: Leesburg officer breaks leg while taking down a person who was darting through trafficThe school is currently on lockdown, officials said. Watch: Deputies: 1 dead, 1 injured after shooting at shopping plaza in east Orange CountyChannel 9 has a crew headed to the school and will provide updates on Eyewitness News. Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, and click here to watch the latest news on your Smart TV.
wftv.comNew principals named for Volusia County Schools
The Volusia School Board appointed new principals and new assistant superintendents on Tuesday. [READ MORE: Volusia County Schools hires 3 new leaders][READ MORE: Volusias new superintendent of schools: Ronald Scott Fritz]Joseph Castelli will take over as principal at Mainland High, where a number of controversies arose in the past year. Patricia Corr, another area superintendent, will be assistant superintendent for middle schools. Gabriel Berrio, an executive area director for Orange County school district, will oversee Volusia Countys high schools. And Rene Clayton, director of middle and K-8 schools in the Osceola County school district, will oversee elementary schools.
news-journalonline.comMainland shooting threat aftermath: 4 arrests, attendance noticeably down
On the two-year anniversary of the mass shooting in Parkland, Volusia officials are dealing with the aftermath of a perceived threat at Mainland High. Three ninth-graders are facing felony charges after police say they set off a firecracker at Mainland High School. You are going to think its an active shooter an active threat." They are all Mainland High ninth-graders and all face felony charges. "This was just a test run to see, to test the response of law enforcement to an active threat.
news-journalonline.comMainland shooting threat aftermath: 4 arrests, attendance down 1,000 students
On the two-year anniversary of the mass shooting in Parkland, Volusia officials are dealing with the aftermath of a perceived threat at Mainland High. Three ninth-graders are facing felony charges after police say they set off a firecracker at Mainland High School. You are going to think its an active shooter an active threat." They are all Mainland High ninth-graders and all face felony charges. "This was just a test run to see, to test the response of law enforcement to an active threat.
news-journalonline.comMainland principal: Attendance noticeably down after shooting scare
On the two-year anniversary of the mass shooting in Parkland, Volusia officials are dealing with the aftermath of a perceived threat at Mainland High. Three ninth graders facing felony charges for setting off a firecracker at Mainland High School. Another student in police custody for threatening a shooting at the school. We are noticeably down.District spokeswoman Kelly Schulz said more detailed information about absences in Volusia County schools on the two-year anniversary of the mass shooting in Parkland would not be available until later today. Volusia students have monthly active shooter drills, so they know what to do in case of an emergency.
news-journalonline.comMainland shooting threat aftermath: Attendance noticeably down after scare
On the two-year anniversary of the mass shooting in Parkland, Volusia officials are dealing with the aftermath of a perceived threat at Mainland High. Three ninth-graders are facing felony charges after police say they set off a firecracker at Mainland High School. They are all Mainland High ninth-graders and all face felony charges. Then, there was a threat circulating on social media that on Thursday night there would be a shooting at the school on Friday. Volusia students have monthly active shooter drills, so they know what to do in case of an emergency.
news-journalonline.comMainland High campus shooting call 1st in Volusia, turns out to be fireworks
Mainland High School was locked down about 12:30 p.m. after multiple people called for emergency help after pops that sounded like gunshots were heard near the high school gym. Daytona Beach Police are also investigating a threat on social media about a shooting at Mainland High School on Friday. Police said they will have a "strong presence" around Mainland High School on Friday to ensure that everyone is safe. A Daytona Beach SWAT commander was among the first called to campus at 12:34 p.m., police said. Firecracker wrappers were found on the scene by Daytona Beach police detectives, according to police spokesman Messod Bendayan.
news-journalonline.comMainland High school shooting scares: 4 in custody
Mainland High School was locked down about 12:30 p.m. after multiple people called for emergency help after pops that sounded like gunshots were heard near the high school gym. UPDATE: The person who posted the social media threat yesterday of a school shooting at Mainland High is now in custody, according to a release Friday from Daytona Beach police spokesman Messod Bendayan. Daytona Beach Police are also investigating a threat on social media about a shooting at Mainland High School on Friday. Police said they will have a "strong presence" around Mainland High School on Friday to ensure that everyone is safe. In Volusia County, the lockdown at Mainland High School on Thursday was the first scare to prompt a response of this magnitude from law enforcement, said Greg Akin, the school districts chief operating officer.
news-journalonline.comMainland High campus shooting call 1st in Volusia, turns out to be fireworks
One ninth-grade student is in custody and police are looking for two more ninth-graders, said Daytona Beach Police Chief Craig Capri. Within two minutes of the first call, the first officers from Daytona Beach Police arrived. In addition to Daytona Beach police, law enforcement officers from Volusia County Sheriffs Office, Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue and the Ormond Beach Police Department responded. Firecracker wrappers were found on the scene by Daytona Beach police detectives, according to police spokesman Messod Bendayan. Daytona Beach Police (@DaytonaBchPD) February 13, 2020The lockdown lasted about an hour as law enforcement officers worked to determine if there was a credible threat.
news-journalonline.comStudent brought fake pipe bomb to Mainland High School, police say
Phil Walter/Getty ImagesDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A student at Mainland High School will face charges after Daytona Beach police say he brought a fake pipe bomb to school Tuesday in his backpack. Daytona Beach Police Department public information officer Messod Bendayan said no threat was made to the school and the school resource officer confiscated the pipe bomb at 2:26 p.m."Our school resource officer went to investigate and discovered that a student at the school claimed to have a pipe bomb in a backpack," Bendayan said in an email. "Upon further investigation, the SRO discovered a magazine rolled tight around some pencils, giving it a cylindrical appearance similar to a pipe." The student showed it to one other student before it was confiscated, police say. Making a threat, even as a hoax, against a school, is a federal crime, according to the FBI.
'Code blue' at Mainland High canceled; suspicious device was e-cig
A section of the school was evacuated Friday morning 'out of an abundance of caution,' according to a city police spokesman. A portion of Mainland High School was evacuated Friday morning as Daytona Beach police investigated a suspicious device. A student found a device, handed it to a teacher who handed it to a dean, and police were called "out of an abundance of caution," said Massod Bendayan, a Daytona Beach police spokesman. This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
news-journalonline.comTop Volusia administrators unaware of Mainland problems
A third internal investigation into what happened at Mainland High School last year asked a question thats been left unanswered: Who in the Volusia County school district knew what was going on? According to interviews with some of the districts top staff, no one did or at least they didn't know it was wrong. And, three district-level administrators said they didnt know Salerno was teaching a course. She also said she didnt know Salerno was listed as teaching a course. More about MarcksMainland High was first scrutinized over the summer, after the state told the school district to investigate a complaint about the school.
news-journalonline.comVolusia schools protecting student-athletes from heat stroke
In 2017, a 16-year-old high school football player from Fort Myers died from internal injuries caused by heat stroke. Last month, a 17-year-old senior at Spruce Creek High School showed symptoms of heat-related illness after collapsing at a football game at Flagler-Palm Coast High School. AdventHealth has since provided Volusia County high schools with inflatable tubs that can be easily transported to game locations that might not have such equipment. Besides treating heat-related illnesses, all Volusia County high schools have begun following a protocol aimed at minimizing harm to student-athletes. All Volusia County high schools are voluntarily following the WBGT protocol recommended by AdventHealth as the school board contemplates a more formal arrangement, according to Amy.
Volusia schools work to rebuild community's trust after Mainland HS incidents
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - From the new curriculum in its elementary schools to fewer substitute teachers in classrooms, the Volusia County School District is moving forward with a lot of changes this year. More importantly, it's trying to rebuild the community's trust after two investigations led to Mainland High School Principal Dr. Cheryl Salerno retiring in lieu of being fired earlier this month. [RELATED: Mainland High School principal gave students all A's 'even though no class was taught' | Mainland High School principal under investigation retires]"In the Mainland situation, there was obvious, ample evidence that mistakes were made," Egnor said. [MORE: Mainland High principal's leave not related to fake AP tests | Mainland High School principal faces discipline after giving fake AP tests]Egnor said the school district is not investigating anyone else at Mainland High School. Former Mainland High School Principal Tim Huth is serving as the school's interim principal.
Mainland High School principal gave students all A's 'even though no class was taught'
SOUTH DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A Volusia County School District investigation into the former Mainland High School principal found she gave all of her students in a speech class the same A-grade and had assigned unqualified employees to work as school counselors. The school board recommended Salerno's terminaton from the school district effective Aug. 28, according to a letter to Salerno dated Aug. 5 from Superintendent Timothy Egnor. On May 21, the Office of Professional Standards began investigating Salerno after a school board learned of two employees working out of field as school counselors. In addition, the investigation found two school counselors working as such who were not qualified to be counselors when Salerno appointed them. On June 26, after a request from a news reporter the chief human resources officer for Volusia County Schools said she was asked about Mainland High School counselors who are working but not properly certified.
Mainland high school principal gave class all A's 'even though no class was taught'
SOUTH DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A Volusia County School District investigation into the former Mainland High School principal found she gave all of her students in a speech class the same A-grade and had... Copyright 2019 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.
Mainland High School principal under investigation retires
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - The Daytona Beach principal under investigation has retired and is no longer employed with Volusia County Schools, a district spokesperson confirmed to News 6. On Aug. 5, the school district placed Mainland High School Principal Cheryl Salerno on an administrative leave of absence. School District officials said Salerno is no longer employed with the Volusia County School District. According to the Office of Professional Standards, Salerno and the district's former academic officer, Teresa Marcks, violated standards of conduct. Former Mainland Principal Tim Huth will serve as principal for the 2019-2020 school year.
Cheryl Salerno's appeal over 'placebo' AP tests at Mainland High denied
After receiving a letter of reprimand for giving 336 freshman a placebo Advanced Placement exam last year without their knowledge, former Mainland High School Principal Cheryl Salerno filed an appeal formally disputing the claims against her. But the district denied the appeal, amid a second investigation into Salernos professional conduct. [READ MORE: Volusia County school officials reprimanded for 'placebo' AP exams at Mainland High][READ MORE: After 'placebo' AP tests, Mainland High Principal Cheryl Salerno out amid new investigation]Salerno was rebuked this summer for acting inappropriately and/or unprofessional by giving 336 freshman at the Daytona Beach school a fake AP exam made to look like the real thing. The Volusia County school district did not release the results of its investigation until after the conclusion of a 10-day waiting period. Additionally, the Florida Department of Education still has the option to take further action on the AP exam issue.
news-journalonline.comMainland AP 'placebo' tests: Asked for apology, Volusia School Board voices support for school
At a School Board meeting that otherwise may not have addressed the topic, Volusia United Educators President Elizabeth Albert asked School Board members to confront the elephant in the room: what happened at Mainland High School. Principal of the Daytona Beach high school Cheryl Salerno was reprimanded along with former Chief Academic Officer Teresa Marcks. At the end of the meeting, School Board member Ida Wright reaffirmed her support for the school. A lot of things happen that are extremely good at Mainland High School, she said. [ALSO AT THE MEETING: Volusia School Board sets higher pay range in superintendent search][ALSO AT THE MEETING: Volusia School Board loosens uniform rules for high schoolers]
news-journalonline.comVolusia County school officials reprimanded for 'placebo' AP exams at Mainland High
Two top officials for the Volusia County school district were formally reprimanded after an internal investigation revealed that 336 Mainland High School students were given a placebo Advanced Placement exam made to look like the real thing and lost out on a chance to earn college credit. Although theres no policy to this effect, if a student takes an AP course in Volusia County, the district pays for the exam. The district investigation did not include an interview with Russell, who left his position at the helm of the district shortly after the investigation concluded. Jen Reilly, whose daughter Molly did not receive an official AP exam, said shell be at the next School Board meeting to talk about it. At the end of the course, students will have the opportunity to take the official AP Seminar exam at no cost.
news-journalonline.comVolusia principal under investigation for administering year-old AP tests
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - Hundreds of freshmen students at Mainland High School will have to wait until July 5 to learn if the advanced placement tests they took in May will actually apply toward college credit after an investigation into the school's principal was launched for administering fake tests, according to the Volusia County School Board. "Regardless of how noble her intentions were, this should have been stopped, really, before it even started," said Carl Persis, chairman of the Volusia County School Board. Persis said 414 students were enrolled in the Advanced Placement Capstone Seminar but only 78 students took an AP exam that would give them college credit. The school board chairman said Principal Cheryl Salerno asked the school board to fund tests for all students but the district said no because it wasn't prepared for that budget item. "The other thing that was not known at the beginning of the school year was that Mainland High School didn't have the funds to pay for the tests," Persis said.