October 31, 2024
Pinellas County Admins Eye Lake County’s P.A.S.S. Program As Model For Student Success
By Kyle Coppola
Pinellas County Admins Eye Lake County’s P.A.S.S. Program As Model For Student Success
LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — A team of administrators from Pinellas County recently traveled to Lake County to observe a program hailed for transforming school culture and promoting student accountability. Known as P.A.S.S. (Positive Alternative to School Suspension), this initiative offers short-term placements for students who disrupt class or violate the Code of Student Conduct, allowing them to remain engaged in learning without being sent home.
(Teachers from Pinellas County got first hand knowledge about the P.A.S.S. program which has been highly successful in Lake County.)
During their visit, the Pinellas team toured Eustis Middle, East Ridge High, and Seminole Springs Elementary schools, where the program has been credited with equipping students with life skills vital for both academic and personal success. P.A.S.S. focuses on student accountability and growth by addressing behavior issues directly in a structured setting, aiming to deter repeat misconduct and foster a productive learning environment.
The visiting administrators gathered insights from teachers and staff on how the program operates and impacts school climate. Impressed by the positive changes seen in student behavior and overall school culture, Pinellas County officials could be exploring the potential for adopting a similar model in their district.
This is great news, this program has been highly successful in our area. Talking to teachers at Tavares High and Leesburg High, the program has had a positive impact. It used to be that suspensions and detentions were the way teachers used to combat disruptive students. However in this ever changing world, new initiative’s such as P.A.S.S. are allowing new opportunities for students which is a great thing.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
