OCSD Scandal

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Listen to audio collected as the Northwest Florida Daily News investigates allegations against the Okaloosa County School District

From the Newsroom: Northwest Florida


    • Apr 10, 2019 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 5m AVG DURATION
    • 18 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from OCSD Scandal

    LISTEN: Child abuse and neglect charges brought against three Silver Sands employees

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2019 1:30


    FORT WALTON BEACH — Formal charges of child abuse and child neglect have been brought against three Silver Sands employees who were arrested in January, according to a press release from the State Attorney for the First Judicial Court. The new charges, which are third degree felonies, replace a more serious charge of aggravated child abuse that was levied in January. They are in the same classification as the charges Kenwood ESE teacher Marlynn Stillions faced. She was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison. The employees, Margaret Wolthers, an Exceptional Student Education teacher, and two aides, Diana Lacroix and Carolyn Madison, are accused of "unlawfully and willfully" abusing three young children between Sept. 1, 2018 and Nov. 18, 2018. The children are autistic, according to their original arrest reports.

    LISTEN: Former school superintendent Mary Beth Jackson challenges suspension

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2019 1:46


    Five days after being suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Okaloosa County Superintendent of Schools Mary Beth Jackson on Wednesday requested a formal hearing from the Florida Senate to challenge DeSantis’ decision. Under state law, suspended officials can go to the Senate to seek to be reinstated.

    LISTEN: Newly appointed Superintendent Marcus Chambers

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2019 4:41


    Marcus Chambers was named the acting superintendent of the Okaloosa County School District following the suspension of Mary Beth Jackson by Governor Ron DeSantis. This is a conversation between Daily News reporter Tom McLaughlin and Chambers.

    LISTEN: State Attorney Bill Eddins on superintendent suspension

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2019 5:09


    State Attorney 1st Circuit. William "Bill" Eddins speaks with Daily News reporter Tom McLaughlin on the suspension of Mary Beth Jackson by Governor Ron DeSantis

    State Attorney files charge against Henry Kelley

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2018 0:57


    Read the full story here >>

    GRAND JURY REPORT: Rodney Walker, School board member gives his thoughts on the report

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2018 9:44


    Rodney Walker, Rodney Walker, school board member sits down with Heather Osbourne and discusses what he thinks about the grand jury report.

    GRAND JURY REPORT: Bill Eddins, First Judicial Circuit State Attorney

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2018 2:35


    Listen to an interview between reporter Tom McLaughlin and Bill Eddins, First Judicial Circuit State Attorney on the grand jury findings related to the Okaloosa Conty School District

    LISTEN: Did Mary Beth Jackson read the report?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2018 1:03


    Listen to audio from a September school board meeting where Mary Beth Jackson seems to contradict herself about whether she saw the investigation report. READERS GUIDE: Scandal OCSD >>>

    SCANDAL OCSD: Stacie Smith resigns

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2018 2:10


    Read the full story >>

    OCSD SCANDAL: Stacie Smith arrested - Interview with State Attorney Bill Eddins

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2018 2:31


    Listen to an interview between Daily News reporter Tom McLaughlin at State Attorney Bill Eddins.

    Scandal OCSD - Introduction

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2018 0:58


    Since the summer of 2017 The Northwest Florida Daily News has reported over 50 stories involving the Okaloosa County School District. The stories ahave unraveled a host of issues involving alleged child abuse, public complaints, contradictions by school officials and grand jury involvement It began in August when the Daily News confirmed that the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office was actively investigating allegations of child abuse involving a special needs student at Kenwood Elementary School. That, however, was just the tip of the iceberg for the Okaloosa County School District. Since that revelation at Kenwood — first discovered by the little boy’s father, Eddie Perillo, after a year of being kept from public knowledge — investigations, harassment claims, public complaints, public misrepresentations and contradictions by district officials, arrests and a lawsuit have followed. With a new discovery seemingly being made on a weekly basis — and sometimes daily — the current state of the school district is in the hands of the State Attorney’s Office, which is in the investigative stage of child abuse allegations involving special needs children at both Kenwood Elementary and Silver Sands School. From the beginning, this story has belonged to the Daily News and we have placed all resources necessary — including monetary for past, present and future public records requests and consultation with legal experts — to cover investigations, allegations and revelations that have shocked our community.  

    UPDATE (11.06.17): Okaloosa School District investigations

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2017 4:58


    Reporter Tom Mclaughlin gives an update into the cases being investigated involving the district .

    UPDATE: Okaloosa County School District alleged abuse case

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2017 7:11


    Reporters Heather Osbourne and Tom McLaughlin talk about the latest information uncovered related to the alleged child abuse at Kenwood Elementary and the school district's handling of the case.

    CHILD ABUSE UPDATE: Mary Beth Jackson to give prepared statement

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2017 3:53


    Reporters Tom McLaughlin and Heather Osbourne give the latest information on the case involving alleged child abuse at an Okaloosa County School District school.

    PART 2— 'I'm not going to be a scapegoat' - Arden Farley tells his side of the story

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2017 18:07


    You are about to listen to a second interview with Arden Farley who was charged failing to report suspected child abuse while doing an investigation for the Okaloosa County School District at Kenwood Elementary School in 2016. He sat down with Daily News Editor Bob Heist, and reporters Tom McLaughlin and Heather Osbourne.

    farley tom mclaughlin heather osbourne
    PART 1— "I'm not going to be a scapegoat" — Arden Farley tells his side of the story

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2017 27:00


    Two Okaloosa County School District employees have been suspended and banned from school district property following their arrest Wednesday on felony charges. Marlynn Stillions, 59, a special education teacher, and Arden Farley, 70, a school district investigator, face charges relating to a 2016 abuse investigation at Kenwood Elementary School in Fort Walton Beach. Farley, against the advice of his lawyers, came in to the offices of the Northwest Florida Daily News a day after he was arrested to tell his side of the story. You are about to listen to an edited version of the interview with Farley joined by Daily News Editor Bob Heist, Managing Editor Wendy Victora and Education Reporter Heather Osborne

    ABUSE UPDATE: Reporter Heather Osbourne reports the latest on alleged abuse at school

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2017 3:36


    Arrests have been made in a case invlving alleged abuse by a teacher at Kenwood Elementary School. Northwest Florida Daily News reporter Heather Osbourne gives us the latest on this story.

    School Board Meeting: Christine Newcomer speaks about abuse

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2017 4:28


    A mother of a Kenwood Elementary School student told the Okaloosa County School Board on Monday that parents should be notified when a teacher is investigated for alleged abuse toward their own child. Christine Newcomer began by asking School Board members to put themselves in the shoes of the 6-year-old student who was allegedly abused by teacher Marlynn Stillions at Kenwood.

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