Sandalwood teens attempt to rob, attack student for $400 fanny pack, report says
Two Sandalwood High School students were arrested Thursday after the school was placed on a code yellow lockdown to investigate an attack on a students, according to a message regarding the incident from Principal Saryn Hatcher to parents and guardians.
Sandalwood High schoolers arrested after student attacked, robbed, principal says
Two Sandalwood High School students were arrested Thursday after the school was placed on a code yellow lockdown to investigate an attack on a students, according to a message regarding the incident from Principal Saryn Hatcher to parents and guardians.
List: Everywhere you can make a splash, keep cool during Independence Day weekend
Families and friends are looking forward to getting together and celebrating the holiday weekend. Beat the heat by visiting one of the swimming locations the city of Jacksonville has opened to keep you cool while having fun in the sun.
DCPS makes changes after students call for โYou Matter Monthโ to be renamed
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ After Sandalwood High School students took to the hallways on Wednesday in protest of the districtโs โYou Matter Monthโ campaign, more demonstrations were held Friday on campuses across the district. Students rallied again at Sandalwood, as well as at First Coast High School, Fletcher High School, Andrew Jackson High School and others. The main target of all the demonstrations is the districtโs โYou Matter Monthโ campaign which they say takes away from Black History Month and, at the same time, high-jacks the โBlack Lives Matterโ phrasing. โWe want more Black history to be in the curriculum, we want it to be more important,โ Sandalwood student Milka Fanord said. In fact, DCPS is listed as one of only nine โexemplary districtsโ by Florida for how it provides Black history education.
After student-led demonstration, Sandalwood principal calls for โfrank conversationsโ
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ In an email to Sandalwood High School personnel Wednesday night, Principal Saryn Hatcher addressed the student-organized, mass walkout that occurred hours earlier. AdStudent organizers said Thursday they want the school and the district to place more emphasis on Black History Month and integrate more Black history into the curriculum. We want more Black history to be in the curriculum, we want it to be more important,โ student Milka Fanord said. Some Sandalwood students say itโs not enough. Videos of the demonstration showed students chanting, โBlack Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter...,โ and impromptu speeches from organizers criticized the schoolโs lack of messaging about Black History Month.
โEnhanced securityโ planned at Duval County high schools through Friday
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Due to unspecified โpotential threatsโ on social media, all Duval County high schools will be implementing โenhanced security measuresโ through the end of the school week, according to two robocalls News4Jax obtained Wednesday night. Sandalwood is the only school mentioned specifically by the district, although all high schools are taking similar precautions. One message was sent from Principal James Ledford to parents of Fletcher High School students. Tracy Pierce, spokesperson for Duval County Public Schools, said that parents and students may notice metal detectors. AdNews4Jax crime and safety Expert Ken Jefferson says itโs critical that anyone with knowledge of violent social media chatter speak up.
Students protest in halls of Sandalwood High School after racially insensitive posts
Students at Sandalwood High School staged a walkout Wednesday after a series of online posts sparked outrage. It all started Tuesday with a post on Microsoft Teams from Sandalwood High School Principal Dr. Saryn Hatcher. AdThen students allegedly posted racially insensitive comments on that Microsoft Teams thread and the principal eventually shut down the entire thread. There was some banging on tables and standing on tables, but there was no damage to school property, Pierce said. Sandalwood High School Senior Vice President Kimberly Williams, 17, said even though the protest didnโt go exactly as it was planned, there are still issues at the school that need to be addressed.
Duval teacher hears about student coronavirus infections from parents, not the health department
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Teachers and their families are concerned about the number of positive cases reported in schools but, they say, theyโre more concerned about whatโs not being reported. News4Jax spoke to a Duval County teacher who tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday who said she shouldโve known about her exposure at least a day earlier. She later learned they had tested positive for COVID-19 and found out not from the health department or the school district, but from the studentsโ parents. Earlier this year, the Duval County Public Schools dashboard was updated to display positive cases as soon as theyโre reported to the district. News4Jax asked the health department at the state and county level about the amount of โpendingโ cases it has yet to perform contact tracing on.
14-year-old girl shot in head dies; mother charged
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ A 14-year-old girl shot in the head Tuesday afternoon at a home in Arlington has died after spending more than 24 hours on life support. Ayva was shot at a home on Wedgefield Boulevard in Arlington Tuesday evening. Investigators told News4Jax they believe the teen was holding the gun and handed it to her mother when it went off, firing a single shot. Jacksonville Sheriffโs Office responded to the Arlington home shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday after receiving a 911 call about a child shot. The State Attorneyโs Office later told News4Jax that there was a miscommunication in court.
Sandalwood High teacher gets 5-day suspension for โunprofessional conductโ
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ A math teacher at Sandalwood High School will be suspended for five days without pay after a unanimous vote by the Duval County School Board on Tuesday night. The five-day suspension for Caggianoโs โunprofessional conductโ did not specify what motivated the consequence. It was unanimously approved in the same vote as several other business items including a 10-day, unpaid suspension of Benjamin Wade, listed as a social studies teacher at Alfred DuPont Middle School. Neither Caggiano nor Wade has any previous professional discipline listed in the Florida Department of Educationโs database. News4Jax reporter Corley Peel reached out to Caggiano on Wednesday, and he said: โAll I have to say is I did nothing wrong.โ
Sandalwood teacher faces suspension over โunprofessional conductโ
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ The Duval County School Board is set to vote Tuesday on whether to suspend a Sandalwood High School math teacher for a week without pay. Thomas Caggiano, who previously came under scrutiny last year over public posts he made on Facebook, faces a five-day suspension over unspecified โunprofessional conduct,โ according to a copy of the school boardโs Dec. 1 agenda. The school district would not specify what that language means. The school districtโs Office of Equity and Inclusion/Professional Standards counseled Caggiano on LGBTQ inclusion after the incident with a transgender student, but no further disciplinary action was taken. A school district spokesperson said he was reassigned this summer to the districtโs operations center in Northwest Jacksonville, a role away from students.
Hakem Smith honored as All-Star Athlete
Hakem Smith is on the baseball team at Sandalwood High School. He graduated from the Early College Program with an AA degree. Hakem volunteers with the Fort Caroline Athletic Association helping with little league and with Rip City, a training facility for both baseball and softball players. He currently has a 3.5 GPA.
Duval County Public Schools announces planned dates for July graduation ceremonies
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. July graduations dates were released by Duval County Public Schools on Friday. According to DCPS, information regarding time, venue guest information and safety protocols was still being finalized as of Friday. That information was expected to be shared with families in the coming weeks. Here is a list of the upcoming graduation dates, provided by the district:Wednesday, July 15Alden Road Exceptional Student CenterMount Herman Exceptional Student CenterThursday, July 16Palm Avenue Exceptional Student CenterFriday, July 17Frank H. PetersonAndrew Jackson High SchoolMonday, July 20Baldwin Middle Senior High SchoolWilliam M. Raines High SchoolStanton College PreparatoryTuesday, July 21Sandalwood High SchoolJean Ribault Senior High SchoolAtlantic Coast High SchoolWednesday, July 22Terry Parker High SchoolSamuel W. Wolfson High SchoolEdward White High SchoolDuval Virtual Instruction AcademyThursday, July 23Westside High SchoolAsa Philip Randolph Academies of TechnologyMandarin High SchoolRobert E. Lee High SchoolThe Bridge to Success AcademyFriday, July 24Douglas Anderson School of the ArtsDarnell Cookman School of the Medical ArtsFirst Coast High SchoolMonday, July 27
Report: Duval Schools investigating โtransphobicโ social media posts connected to teacher
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Duval County Public Schools is investigating derogatory social media posts that are reportedly connected to a teacher at Sandalwood High School. โI will NOT refer to you with female pronouns,โ Caggiano wrote to a transgender student in a 2019 email obtained by the Times-Union. On Friday, a Duval Schools spokesman confirmed to News4Jax that the district is looking into Caggianoโs social media posts. Duval County Public Schools should complete its investigation thoroughly and swiftly - and it should be the end of Mr. Caggianoโs public teaching career. Following his time in the Navy, Caggiano was a teacher at Ribault Middle School and Twin Lakes Academy Middle for seven years.
1 arrested, 1 sought in armed robbery on Sandalwood campus
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Students and parents are still shaken four days after an armed robbery unfolded on campus at Sandalwood High School. The campus was temporarily locked down after a gun was found in the area. The unnamed victim gave a good description of the suspects to authorities, which helped lead to the arrest of Markeem Wilcher. Wilcher, 20, is charged with armed robbery, trespassing and resisting an officer without violence. School officials said neither of the suspects is a current student, so they werenโt supposed to be on campus in the first place.
Search for gunman leads to lockdown at Jacksonville schools
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Jacksonville police are looking for a shooting suspect after a violent dispute Tuesday morning led authorities to lock down two public schools nearby. Police have identified the shooter, who took a shot at someone on White Horse Road about 9 a.m., according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. As a precautionary measure, Duval County Public Schools placed Sandalwood High School and Alden Road Exceptional Student Center on lockdown for several hours while the search was active. At one point, Hartley said, investigators located the man, who hid out in the woods of a neighborhood near Whispering Woods Boulevard and Whispering Woods Place. John Rogge recently purchased a home in the area, but he didn't appear to be fazed by the incident.
Pyper Vaughn honored as All-Star Athlete
Pyper Vaughn is on the soccer, lacrosse and cross country teams at Sandalwood High School. Pyper is a member of the National Honor Society, the Superintendent's Leadership Academy, Youth Leadership Jacksonville and the ROTC. She was selected as the Exchange Club of Jacksonville's Student of the Year and is an active member of her church's youth group. Pyper currently has a 4.5 GPA. Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.
Pyper Vaughn honored as All-Star Athlete
Pyper Vaughn is on the soccer, lacrosse and cross country teams at Sandalwood High School. Pyper is a member of the National Honor Society, the Superintendent's Leadership Academy, Youth Leadership Jacksonville and the ROTC. She was selected as the Exchange Club of Jacksonville's Student of the Year and is an active member of her church's youth group. Pyper currently has a 4.5 GPA.
Our student reporter heads back to school
Harlon Brown Jr., our student reporter, began his senior year at Sandalwood High School on Monday. "I'm really excited to get back into the groove of things," Brown said. He took us inside the school to show new security measures, including walk-through metal detectors. WATCH: New security measures at Sandalwood High SchoolThey've also cut the number of entrances to the school from eight to three and installed more security camera. "Just feel like the security has become better over the years."
Former Sandalwood student shot dead
ST. MARYS, Ga. โ A Jacksonville man died Sunday from a single gunshot wound to the chest, according to police. Jacari Graham, 21, was found lying in the road outside a friend's home on Pinehurst Drive. He was pronounced dead at the scene after police received a call of an individual who had been shot in the chest. Graham was found next to the open driver side door of a car. Graham was an alumnus of Sandalwood High School where he played football.
Gators, Seminoles, Bulldogs add new talent
Georgia's haul was impressive with 21 four- or five-star recruits signing for the Bulldogs. Jim McElwain further bolstered the defense, landing linebacker Lacedrick Brunson from Jackson High School in Miami. Florida and Florida State both lost out on Levi Jones, who put a different spin on the pick-a-hat ceremony. He then pulled off the Florida shirt to reveal a Florida State shirt underneath. Florida State is considered to be a top five class, with Florida ranked somewhere in the teens.