Hollywood faces, going places

Discipline in public schools addressed by Superintendent Robert Runcie at White House

Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie visited the White House to participate in a panel discussion known as Rethink School Discipline.

During the panel discussion, Runcie gave a presentation on the District’s Collaborative Agreement on School Discipline which aims to close the schoolhouse to jailhouse pipeline. It established new guidelines and processes for handling non-violent misdemeanor offense on school campuses. 

Runcie spoke on the District’s intervention programs which have reduced student misdemeanor arrests by 63 percent, expulsions among general education students by 27 percent and 54 percent among exceptional education students, and suspensions by about 30 percent.

“We were the only major district to participate in this conversation,” said Runcie. “I promoted our Preventing Recidivism through Opportunities, Mentoring, Interventions, Support and Education (PROMISE).”

Runcie wants to reduce the number of Broward School District students who are being suspended or expelled from schools. He believes it is important to move away from zero tolerance policies to programs that identify root causes of disciplinary problems. He is proud to say that the number of suspensions in Broward has gone down since he became the leader of the District.

David Nash is the new president of the Hollywood Gardens West Civic Association

He is pleased to have been elected to his new position and is hoping to increase membership.

Nash praised the efforts of past president Idelma Quintano. “We are a new organization and I hope to build up the membership base and get more people involved. We have a newsletter coming out and a website,” he said.

Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin comes to Temple Solel

Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin is the new Senior Rabbi at Temple Solel in Hollywood. He will lead his first service there on August 1.

He is coming from Temple Beth Am in Bayonne, New Jersey. He is a well-known expert on Judaica and is known as an activist for Jewish ideas by his colleagues and followers.

Rabbi Salkin has written articles that have appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Journal and Readers Digest. He also writes a blog entitled “Martini Judaism; for those who want to be shaken and stirred.”

Tomas Sanchez named new Hollywood Police Chief

Tomas Sanchez was recently appointed to the position of Hollywood Police Chief by Dr. Wazir Ishmael. Sanchez had been serving as interim police chief.

Sanchez joined the Hollywood Police Department in May 1988 as a Police Officer. He has worked his way through the ranks of Police Officer, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Assistant Chief, and his most recent position of Interim Police Chief.  

Sanchez has extensive experience leading numerous divisions and sections of the Police Department, including Professional Standards, Neighborhood Services, Drug Enforcement, Criminal Investigations, Patrol, Support Services and Special Operations.   Throughout his career, Chief Sanchez has received many honorable commendations from residents and civic organizations, as well as certifications from various agencies and universities, according to Meredith Elrich, spokesperson for the Hollywood Police Department.

Sanchez earned his Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Florida International University in August of 1993, and has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Columbia College in Missouri.  He graduated from the Senior Management Institute for Police, the DEA Drug Unit Commanders Academy and the Southern Police Institute, according to Elrich. 

 

Author: Amanda Jones
Author: Amanda Jones

Amanda Jones specializes in social media marketing. She holds a Master's degree in Social Media Management from the University of Florida and a Social Media Professional Certificate from the University of Miami.

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