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Lawyer ticked after Hernando schools don't fix typo

 
Published May 7, 2013

BROOKSVILLE — Public defender Kirk Campbell hears the same cringe-inducing mistake again and again from his clients:

"Adjudification," they say.

What they really mean: Adjudication.

Groan.

Campbell usually doesn't make a big deal about people messing up the word.

Except in this case.

About a year ago, Campbell and his wife were filling out the volunteer and chaperone application form for the Hernando County School District when he saw something that caused him great distress:

"Have you ever had an 'Adjudification Withheld' by a court of law?" the form reads.

Adjudification.

"It's pretty bad," said Campbell, who works in the Brooksville office. "It's so idiotic sounding."

He said he called the district and asked them to change it. Then he moved on. No big deal.

Fast forward.

With his son going to a new school next year, the application needed to be filled out again. The mistake, he quickly discovered, was still there.

"That isn't a typo," he said. "It's the wrong word."

He said he passed it around the office. It got a good laugh. They see it all the time — frequently in paperwork filled out by high school dropouts, he said.

"(The district is) supposed to have a higher standard than somebody who dropped out in the 10th grade," Campbell said.

He just wants the form fixed.

Superintendent Bryan Blavatt said he does, too.

"It makes my blood boil," he said.

He'll get it changed. Quickly.

Danny Valentine can be reached at dvalentine@tampabay.com or (352) 848-1432.