2 board members call for outside investigation into accusations against Clay superintendent

Superintendent Charlie Van Zant Jr. accused of fraud, plagiarism

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – Two Clay County School Board members have expressed concerns after a special meeting to address accusations against Superintendent Charlie Van Zant Jr. was canceled.

School board members Janice Kerekes and Carol Studdard are calling for an outside investigation into accusations of fraud and plagiarism against Van Zant made against him by a former high school principal. 

"As a school board member, when someone makes a complaint like this, we have a legal obligation to act on it," Kerekes said.

Kerekes, the school board member for District 1 in Clay County, filed an action to discuss the accusations at a special meeting Wednesday, but the meeting was canceled. She said the accusations were also put on the agenda to be discussed at the next school board meeting, but school board Chairman Johnna McKinnon removed it.

"One individual board member does not have the authority to do that. Mrs. McKinnon, as the chair, doesn't have the authority to remove an item that a school board has place on. So, she violated our school board policy by doing that," Kerekes said. 

When the agenda was published Thursday, the item was not listed. Kerekes said because the board can't meet to discuss what happens next, members can't have a third party step in and investigate the claims. 

Instead, McKinnon announced that she has instructed human resources to do an internal investigation. Kerekes said that also violates policy, because Van Zant is not an employee, he's an elected official. She said because of that, protocol is different. Kerekes said employees are investigated internally, and the investigation is kept confidential.

She said it's also inappropriate to make a staff member investigate their boss. 

"The way this is being handled, the way, I believe, is politically motivated to cover up what's going on with the superintendent. And Mrs. McKinnon is doing that. They are both up for re-election and they're running as a ticket, along with a third party. This, to me, seems extremely inappropriate. If we have done nothing wrong, and have nothing to hide, why wouldn't we want to bring in somebody from an outside independent agency and really clear the good name of the Clay County School District?" Kerekes said.

School board member Carol Studdard released a statement Thursday, calling for outside investigators to intervene.

VIEW: Carol Studdard calls for outside investigators

“The school board was scheduled to take up this issue at our next regular meeting on Aug.18 before Johnna McKinnon removed the action item from the agenda in violation of school board policy,” Studdard said. “I feel this issue needs to be investigated by state officials, not by our superintendent and district staff."

Kerekes said if the item is not put back on the agenda, she will consider alternatives. She said she's never experienced an incident like this while on the board, and she said she may speak with an attorney.

Former Keystone Heights principal sends open letter to school board

In an open letter to the school board last week, former Keystone Heights High School Principal Dr. Susan Sailor accused Van Zant of falsely labeling students with learning disabilities and forcing staff to write papers that he used to complete his master's degree.

Sailor, who was Florida's teacher of the year in 1997, told News4Jax on Friday that she has supported Van Zant in the past, even giving money to his past and current campaign, but she said she's now appalled by his actions.

READ: Open letter from Dr. Susan Sailor to school board | Research paper from Sailor

The allegations, which Van Zant adamantly denies, come weeks before a primary election in which Van Zant is opposed by fellow Republican Addison Davis, independent candidate Rebekah Shively and a write-in candidate.

He posted a response to the allegations on Facebook, saying the accusations were politically motivated and "blatantly false or taken wholly out of context."

A spokeswoman for the district did release a statement:

"District administration has obtained a copy of the email sent from a district employee to school board members dated Aug. 4. Administration categorically denies the statements contained within. In light of the fact that we are in the midst of political season, the timing of the email is both questionable and unfortunate."