OCSD Scandal

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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 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 >>>

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

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.  

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.