JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County School Police Department on Wednesday arrested a longtime music teacher at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts accused of lewd conduct involving a student, district officials said.
Jeffrey Clayton, 65, is charged with soliciting or engaging in lewd conduct with a student and unlawful use of a two-way communication device, his arrest report shows.
According to a DCPS spokesperson, police learned of the allegations over the weekend. The arrest report indicates the inappropriate activity happened at Douglas Anderson.
Clayton was the vocal director at the high school for more than two decades, according to the department website. He began as a music teacher at Douglas Anderson in August 2000, and he was reassigned for disciplinary reasons for a week in January 2013 before being reinstated at the school, the district spokesperson said.
Douglas Anderson alumna Cassandra Young Williams said she was horrified to learn about Wednesday morning’s arrest after driving by news crews in front of the school.
“It’s very upsetting,” she said.
Parent Wendy Poag said she is glad her daughter is not in chorus with Clayton.
“Of course, you’re always shocked when you hear things like that,” Poag said.
Kristin Jones says Clayton was her vocal teacher for years. She spoke about behavior in class that she said was inappropriate.
“Not every single student, like I said, but a lot of them he would physically put his hands on their stomach, in between their breasts to check their breathing properly,” Jones said.
Douglas Anderson Principal Tina Wilson informed students’ families about the incident.