JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene on Friday sent a note to families at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts detailing upcoming changes at the school to address the culture in the wake of multiple investigations into teachers at the public magnet school.
The State Attorney’s Office, along with DCPS Police and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, has also identified about 140 students that it wants to participate in voluntary interviews as part of those investigations. The students have been identified based on class rosters and participation in certain programs in recent years. If a student is not contacted for an interview, but they have information that might be helpful, they are asked to contact Duval Schools.
Scandal recently rocked the school following the arrest of longtime music teacher Jeffrey Clayton who is charged with lewd conduct involving a student. Former teachers and students who spoke at a recent board meeting and to News4JAX said leadership at the school didn’t do anything about Clayton for years, despite multiple complaints.
Two other teachers are also currently under investigation. One has been reassigned and another was removed from the classroom.
MORE: Duval County school police arrest music teacher accused of lewd conduct involving student | Former student, staff call for closer look at Douglas Anderson’s culture
“It is exceedingly disappointing that recent events and allegations from the past reveal another dimension of the school’s reputation that must be addressed and corrected,” Greene said. “While multiple personnel investigations remain open and ongoing, as Superintendent, I know enough now to be able to outline several steps we will take to address the culture of the school and ensure we do everything possible so that current and future students experience all the greatness that DA has to offer within a school climate and culture that is as emotionally and physically safe as possible.”
Greene said that includes accountability, process and training, and a cultural assessment.
With direction from and in collaboration with the Duval County School Board and through the City of Jacksonville’s Office of General Counsel, Greene added that an external law firm will conduct a broad investigation into employee behavior and handling of allegations and reports of improper conduct over the history of the school.
When it comes to culture, the district said it is bringing in Dr. Denise Davis-Cotton, a preeminent scholar and highly experienced practitioner of arts education.
The district said Dr. Davis-Cotton is particularly qualified to hear and understand the voice of students and plans to:
- Establish and define norms and boundaries for the special craft of teaching in artistic fields, including norms and practices for any bodily contact.
- Create procedures and policies to guide safe rehearsals and specialized student instruction typical of an arts intensive instructional environment.
- Develop rubrics or screening protocols to be used for the selection of performances or other works to be performed or produced by students.
Greene said has already started evaluating policies and procedures related to professional ethics and fraternization with students and will continue to work with the school board on any policy or procedural changes “that will strengthen our ability to maintain a safe learning environment and protect our students.”
The goal, Greene said, is to create a strong system enabling students and staff to report allegations of impropriety to officials outside of the school to ensure proper investigation, tracking, and action.
The district is also making staff attend training sessions on ethics and the responsibilities of educators by the end of the school year.
For students, the district said it will provide a voluntary, after-school informational training session on their rights under Federal Title IX, the civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities. The district will also include information from high school health curriculum on strategies for deflecting, rejecting, and reporting unwanted and inappropriate sexual advances and behavior.