JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A week after a bill sparked by controversy at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts passed unanimously in the Senate, the school confirmed yet another employee has been removed over accusations of “inappropriate conduct.”
The school did not release the employee’s name because it is still an active investigation, but said the staff member worked part-time at the school and that the allegation was from a previous school year.
“I want to assure you that we will continue to take appropriate action following a full investigation. Please know that maintaining the safety of our staff and students and building trust within our school community remain my highest priorities,” Principal Timothy Feagins said in a message to DA families.
The DA employee is at least the seventh removed over misconduct allegations in the last two years.
RELATED: Documents detail investigation into former Douglas Anderson teacher’s conduct
The News4JAX I-TEAM has talked with victims whose stories of inappropriate interactions with Douglas Anderson teachers date back as far as 20 years. In 2023, alumni detailed those interactions in letters to the school districts attorneys calling their high school experience “terrorizing” and “hell.”
How the district handled some of these allegations ultimately played a role in former Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene’s resignation in 2023.
Former DA teacher Jeffrey Clayton is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for crimes against a 16-year-old student, which authorities said took place in March 2023.
And former algebra teacher Chris Allen-Black was arrested in February 2024 and relieved of teaching duties in April that year. He was accused of exposing himself in a Disney hotel room in view of the resort pool.
The timeline of events following Allen-Black’s arrest caught lawmakers’ attention, leading to SB 1374, a bill that establishes guidelines for when a staff member should be removed and when parents need to be notified.
The bill, introduced by state Sen. Clay Yarborough, who represents parts of Duval County, is now under consideration in the House after passing unanimously in the Senate on April 16.
“The idea rose for me to file this bill based on some unfortunate circumstances we’ve had in Duval County,” Yarborough said.
The issue with the timeline in Allen-Black’s case was that an investigation was opened on Feb. 27, 2024, when the district learned of his arrest, but he was not relieved of his teaching duties until April 11, 2024, and families were notified on April 17, 2024, according to Duval County Public Schools,
In response, Yarborough’s bill establishes new reporting requirements, mandating that school districts adopt a policy to temporarily remove instructional personnel from the classroom within 24 hours of learning about an arrest for a felony or certain misdemeanors.
Within a day of that, the school would notify parents of students who had direct contact with the employee, including the name and specific charges against the employee.
If passed by the House and signed by the governor, the bill would become effective on July 1, 2025.
Duval County Public Schools recently implemented the ‘Know the Line’ campaign as a safe space for students and parents to report employee misconduct.
News4JAX asked the district about their procedures moving forward with this employee and whether we can expect criminal charges. However, we were told that details are limited because this is an active investigation.
