Grades PreK–Adult
Largo, Florida
Public/Urban
Enrollment 152,000
2007 District of Character

Start small. Search for the program that fits your school district, and embrace what you believe in. Clayton M. Wilcox, Superintendent

As a large, diverse, urban school district, Pinellas works strategically through its Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools to disseminate character education practices to its 145 schools while still respecting their autonomy. In the most densely populated county in Florida, district-wide core values are clearly defined in behavioral terms and published, along with activities for teachers, throughout the system. Even bus drivers have been trained to understand and apply the core values with students on their buses, resulting in a remarkable 64 percent decrease in behavior problems on buses. Similarly, as a result character-related efforts in the district’s schools, incidents of inappropriate and even violent behavior at the secondary level have been reduced.

Read more about Pinellas County in the 2007 NSOC book:  Commitment to Character

SIGNATURE PRACTICES

Featured Lesson Plan: Waves of Life
Eighth grade science students use emotions to learn about the properties of waves.

Sample Practice: Dinner Dilemmas
Family discussions of four ethical challenges encourage a deeper understanding of respect  (handout). 
See this activity in Spanish.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Jan Urbanski, Supervisor
Safe and Drug Free Schools
Pinellas County Schools
310 4th Street SW
P.O. Box 2942
Largo, FL 33779
Telephone: (727) 588-6130
E-mail: URBANSKIJ@pcsb.org
Web site: www.pinellas.k12.fl.us