ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A 28-year-old former Nease High School teacher accused of having sex with a student pleaded not guilty Monday to two counts of sexual activity with a minor.
Dionne Younce, a former physical education teacher, was fired in February after allegations of misconduct with students.
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Pretrial for Younce was set for 1:30 p.m. May 12.
The Sheriff's Office said it began investigating Younce on Jan. 20 after getting three or four letters from students saying that she had an inappropriate relationship with at least one student. Detectives were told by a 17-year-old that he had sex with her twice at her apartment on Ponte Vedra Boulevard.
Special Victims' Unit detectives questioned Younce and her apartment was searched. Evidence gathered resulted in an arrest warrant.
Younce was fired by the St. Johns County School Board after three students said Younce messaged them and sent them text messages, beginning last fall. One of the students, whose name was not released, said Younce also Snapchatted with him. He said it was “casual," but then it turned “sexual” after a while.
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"We started sending nude photos to each other, and we did that for a while --- until rumors started to break out," one student wrote.
Deputies said Younce told him not to talk about it because she didn't want to get caught.
A day after the students gave their statements to school officials, Younce was notified by letter that the district had “elected to dismiss (her) from employment.”
The School Board finalized that decision without comment as part of the consent agenda at its February meeting.