JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The News4JAX I-TEAM has obtained records showing Duval County Public Schools settling two additional claims of sexual harassment and abuse at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts for $120,000.
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The district previously settled three complaints for $1.4 million.
The complaints were apparently related to allegations against former choral director, Jeffrey Clayton.
Clayton’s arrest last March unleashed a barrage of allegations of abuse and a toxic school culture. Clayton is now serving a 10-year sentence for charges related to grooming and touching a student.
The recent settlements, which were signed in August, are related to allegations from years ago brought by two former students. The district has not admitted to any wrongdoing in these cases.
In 2023, attorney Chris Moser sent letters to Duval County Public Schools notifying them she planned to sue on behalf of two clients, who claim they were traumatized by cinematic arts teachers at Douglas Anderson.
One of the former students says she was 14 years old in 2013 when teacher Corey Thayer, who was 43 at the time, groomed her, with the abuse escalating to touching and sex.
According to the pre-suit letter, she was also sexually assaulted by two male students in a janitor’s closet at the school in an attack motivated by their understanding that she was in a sexual relationship with Thayer.
The child’s experiences at DA derailed her high school education, the letter says, resulting in PTSD and time in in-patient treatment, where she revealed the assaults to her therapist.
A criminal investigation by Duval County School Police was closed. The letter says the investigation was ended “at the father’s request,” but the former student’s attorney claims the father never meant for the investigation to end when he told police about how tough it was for his daughter to speak with law enforcement.
Also according to the letter, the school district failed to follow up on its duty to investigate Thayer until the former student’s mother reached out to the school board after Jeffrey Clayton was arrested. Thayer was removed from the classroom in early 2023 as he was investigated. A district spokesperson says Thayer resigned in June.
In August, the school board settled with Thayer’s former student for $85,000.
DCPS has also implemented new safety initiatives to protect other kids.
In a statement to News4JAX the student who brought the claims regarding Thayer said, “I’m glad that the district is finally beginning to listen to students harmed by the predatory environments of their schools after silencing them for so long. Though these policies should have been in place long ago, I’m optimistic about the new policy changes that are geared toward making Duval County public schools a safer place for everyone. I’m also hopeful that as stories continue to emerge from past students, DCPS will continue to listen, reflect on their policies, and change for their students’ safety.”
The other student received a settlement of $35,000. She accused former DA teacher Nic Serenati of sending her, as a minor, “hundreds of inappropriate text messages...of an explicit and deviant nature.”
The pre-suit letter does not specify a timeline of the allegations, but it does note Serenati resigned from DA to take a job at Flagler College. A spokesperson for DCPS confirmed he resigned effective December 23, 2016. Serenati no longer shows up on Flagler College’s employee directory.
The student in that case provided a statement, saying:
“Students are the ones who create the magic of Douglas Anderson. It is their courage to be vulnerable, expressive, and experimental that defines the spirit of the school. Over the past year-and-a-half, it’s been devastating to learn that this vibrant artistry and openness has been repeatedly and systemically taken advantage of.
Despite graduating more than a decade ago, I continue to struggle with symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder related to the grooming and abuse I experienced. I was naive to assume that this was an isolated ordeal; it was not even isolated to one art department. As students and alumni continue to share their stories, I hope the public can appreciate the depth of harm inflicted in these cases and the urgent need for meaningful change.
I appreciate the District’s willingness to work with current and former students to better understand the widespread misconduct at Douglas Anderson. To be clear, their work is far from over. I implore Duval County families to continue calling for transparency — not just in plans and presentations, but also in addressing how and why sexual abuse of minors became apparently endemic to a DCPS institution in the first place.
We must look back before we can look forward.”
Former Douglas Anderson student who brought allegations against Nic Serenati
Serenati declined to comment. The I-TEAM has reached out to Thayer. We will let you know if we hear back.
The former student who received the settlement involving Serenati is looking to form a support group for the DA community– you can find an informational form here or email dasotavoices@gmail.com.