JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The News4Jax I-TEAM on Tuesday obtained the personnel file of a Duval County Public Schools teacher, who’s facing a charge of child abuse.
Caroline Lee, who was selected as Darnell-Cookman School of the Medical Art’s teacher of the year prior to her arrest, told News4Jax on Monday that she was not commenting on her case. According to a police report, a student told an officer that she was struck by Lee. Over the weekend, a judge ordered the long-time educator not to return to her school or have contact with the student who made the allegation.
Recommended Videos
Documents the I-TEAM obtained Tuesday show that following her arrest, Lee was reassigned to work at the district’s Teacher Supply Depot. She maintains her current salary of $50,503 while she is reassigned.
According to her personnel file:
- Lee got her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of North Florida in December 2010
- Lee was first hired as a language arts teacher at Andrew Jackson High School in February 2011
- In March 2011, she had an evaluation that was graded “satisfactory” overall
In the aforementioned evaluation, Lee was rated “unsatisfactory” for utilizing appropriate classroom management techniques. There was a note in the evaluation about using more discretion when making comments to parents and students, and establishing classroom decorum.
The file notes that she resigned May 2, 2011, while she was still in her 97-day probationary period.
Lee then rejoined DCPS in 2014, teaching at Darnell-Cookman, initially as a middle school language arts instructor. She then began teaching high schoolers in 2018.
Notably, Lee received a master’s degree in English in 2018.
In recent years, teaching evaluations rated her “highly effective.” Some evaluations gave her the maximum number of allotted points.
The file shows no past disciplinary actions by the district.
Lee is scheduled to be back in court on Nov. 22 on the child abuse charge.
Background of the case
According to a police report, two days after DCPS posted on its Instagram page about Lee being selected as Darnell-Cookman’s teacher of the year, a student commented on the post, writing: “Is that the same teacher who used the N-word in class last year?” It notes that the post showed a response from Lee, where she explained the use of the word was in the context of the book “Of Mice and Men.”
The student told an officer, the report states, that Lee confronted her, walking the student back to her classroom.
The student then said, according to the report, that she was asked by Lee to sit down, and she sat down at a desk. The report states Lee asked the student why she threatened her, to which the student replied that she didn’t threaten her.
That’s when, the report reads, the student told police: Lee “reached across the table and struck her on her face with the heel of her palm.” The student “stated she grabbed her nose because it started bleeding after she was struck.” The student “stated Lee then began repeatedly calling her a ‘f****** b****’ as she landed several more strikes on the top of head.” The student “stated she began trying to hold both of Lee’s arms to keep from being struck and Lee kicked her on her lower leg.”
The student told police Lee then opened the rear door and demanded she “get out,” and she walked to the guidance office.
According to the report, when interviewed by an officer, Lee acknowledged viewing the posts on the school’s Instagram page, and she added that another student shared with her a message allegedly posted by the student that Lee “interpreted as a threat to kill her.” She told the officer that because of the message, she felt the need to speak with the student.
The report states that Lee told police she wasn’t afraid and didn’t feel a need to report anything to police or staff members of the school. The report states Lee denied closing the doors to her classroom and that she described having a “range of emotions” during her contact with the student. It states she asked the student to take down the post referring to her using the N-word, and she denied doing any physical harm.