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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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North Florida Christian School
North Florida Christian School (NFCS) is a private Christian school in Tallahassee, Florida, originally founded as a segregation academy. The school is administered by North Florida Baptist Church, formerly known as Temple Baptist Church.

History

Originally known as Tallahassee Christian School, it was founded in 1966 by Temple Baptist Church pastor Rayburn L. Blair and headmaster James Pound. Pound served as principal and school superintendent until his retirement in 1988.

Although the school is open today to students of all races, it was founded by white parents, one of several segregation academies started in response to the federally mandated racial integration of Leon County Schools.

Among the parents who withdrew their children from public schools and enrolled them at NFCS were Board of Regents member Fred Parker and state senator Miley Miers. Parker told the AP that he enrolled his four children in NFCS because he didn't want them to be subject to desegregation busing. Parker added that an advantage of NFCS was that the private school's bus service had a stop near his home. Miers said he moved her three children to NFCS since so they would not "suffer" from the end of the separate-but-equal doctrine.

In 1970, NFCS signed an agreement to lease the Old Sealey School campus from the Leon County school board for $5.00 per day. In response to the lease, the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare blocked the public school system from receiving a $200,000 federal grant since the school board was aiding a racially segregated private school.

NFCS hosted a campaign rally for George Wallace's 1972 presidential campaign. Wallace later claimed he had no prior knowledge of flyers distributed at the rally promoting school segregation.

In 1975, school head James Pound told the Tallahassee Democrat that the school had turned down all black applicants to avoid racial conflict at the school.

In 1978, NFCS expelled three students because their parents tried to start a parent teacher organization independent of the school. About 100 parents attempted to form the PTA to improve academic standards at the NFCS. The school, which at the time had over 1700 students, sent a letter to all parents explaining that if they disagreed with the church's administration of the school, they should withdraw their children.

School faculty of Tallahassee Christian helped establish another segregation academy, Gadsden Christian Academy (now known as the Tallavanna Christian School) in Gadsden County in 1971.

Demographics

In 2018 the school reported to the NCES the following: 506 total students, of whom 261 were White, 147 Black, 23 Hispanic, 7 Asian and 12 of two or more races.

Accreditation

NFCS is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, and the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation.

Athletics

1986 FHSAA player eligibility controversy

In 1986, the football team included a student who transferred in violation of FHSAA regulations. The FHSAA declared each game in which the student participated be forfeited, making the school ineligible for the playoffs. NFCS sued in state court and was granted an injunction allowing it to participate in the playoffs. The court later upheld the ruling allowing the student's participation.

State championships

NFCS athletics state championships
Team Year Classification Head Coach Record Championship Game Score Opponent Location
Baseball 1995 3A Mike Posey n/a 2-0 Keystone Heights Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota
Baseball 2007 2A Mike Posey n/a 6-1 Montverde Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota
Baseball 2011 2A Mike Posey 24-4 8-4 Orangewood Christian Digital Domain Park, Port St. Lucie
Girls Basketball 2008 2A Aaron Krause n/a 54-44 Lafayette (Mayo) The Lakeland Center
Football 1996 2A Tim Cokely n/a 34-7 Glades Day Daytona Bch. Mun. Stadium
Football 1998 2A Tim Cokely n/a 30-13 American Heritage University of Florida
Football 1999 1A Tim Cokely n/a 23-13 Fort Meade University of Florida
Football 2000 1A Tim Cokely n/a 20-16 Fort Meade University of Florida
Football 2001 2A Tim Cokely n/a 28-16 Fort Meade Florida State University
Football 2008 1A Tim Cokely 10-2 17-7 Fort Meade Orlando
Football 2011 2A Robert Craft 13-0 69-0 Admiral Farragut Citrus Bowl
Football 2018 2A Steve Price 9-4 28-20 Champagne Catholic Camping World Stadium

Notable people

References

  1. ^ "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for North Florida Christian School". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  2. ^ White, Headley J. (2006). "Effects of Desegregation on Gadsden County, Florida Public Schools 1968-1972 (PhD thesis)". p. 25 (PDF p. 33.
  3. ^ Glenda Alice Rabby, The Pain and the Promise: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Tallahassee, Florida, Athens, Ga., University of Georgia Press, 1999, ISBN 082032051X, p. 255.
  4. ^ "Regent, Rep. Miers put kids in private school". Miami News. September 10, 1970. p. 10.
  5. ^ "Action Sought against White Alabama parents". Commonwealth. Greenwood, MS. September 4, 1970. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Alachua Schools Integrated by 15%". The Miami Herald. September 5, 1970. Retrieved 10 February 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "A $200,000 reminder". Tallahassee Democrat. February 18, 1971. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ David Schultz (March 8, 1972). "School issue: Wallace denies knowing about leaflets at Rally". The Palm Beach Post. p. A1..
  9. ^ "Court ruling hits private school bias". Tallahassee Democrat. May 29, 1975 – via Newspapers.com. Pound said there are no blacks presently at the school and none have applied since the late 1960s. Several blacks did apply then, he said, but were turned down in order to avoid racial conflict at the school.
  10. ^ Effron, Seth (July 30, 1978). "Pastor says paper wages a vendetta". Tallahassee Democrat. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ White, Headley J. (2006). "Effects of Desegregation on Gadsden County, Florida Public Schools 1968-1972 (PhD thesis)". p. 29 (PDF p. 37.
  12. ^ FHSAA v. Temple Baptist Church, Inc. 509 So. 2d 1381 - Fla: Dist. Court of Appeals, 1st Dist. 1987
  13. ^ Gray, W. Blake (November 6, 1988). "Lake Gibson group to appeal forfeits". The Tampa Tribune. p. 6D – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ http://www.fhsaa.org/records FHSAA Championship Records
  15. ^ "NBC.com> The Apprentice > Candidates". www.nbc.com. Archived from the original on 2004-08-28.
  16. ^ "Bio Pages - Political News - FOXNews.com". Fox News. Archived from the original on 2010-07-23. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
  17. ^ Henry, Jim (24 October 2016). "TV personality, former NFC star Ledlow robbed at gunpoint". Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  18. ^ Rice, Ken (February 22, 1990). "Clutch sophomore". Tallahassee Democrat. p. 39 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  19. ^ "John Nogowski Stats, Fantasy & News | MLB.com". MLB.com.
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