The Manatee County School District has implemented new teacher training and reinforced hiring practices following a Suncoast Searchlight and Bradenton Herald investigation into staff misconduct toward students.
At least a dozen incidents during the past two years have sparked arrests, costly lawsuits and outcry from parents who contend the administration did not do enough to protect students. The newsrooms’ joint investigation found the district overlooked potential red flags in job applications, either missed or ignored early warnings of inappropriate behavior and, in recent years, skipped Title IX training for proper sexual harassment reporting.
The day before the investigation was published in December, district staff sent a mass alert to parents across the county emphasizing its work to make students safer. Once the story was published, district leaders then circulated the article to top brass in the school system, emphasizing the priority on fixes…