CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – The Clay County school board member calling for a special meeting to review accusations of fraud and plagiarism committed by Superintendent Charlie Van Zant, issued a prepared statement Wednesday, saying the review would “violate board policy.”
Clay County School Board member Johnna McKinnon said in her statement that, “It has become clear that it would violate board policy to review these allegations in a public meeting.”
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Since the allegations were made against specific district employees identified by name or title, they are required to be reviewed by the superintendent of schools.
In her statement, McKinnon said she is canceling Wednesday’s meeting and directing the assistant superintendent for Human Resources to conduct an investigation into the allegations made against Van Zant and the potential violation of board policy after the allegations were made public.
READ: Johnna McKinnon's prepared statement
Because members of the school board and the superintendent are elected officials, the district does not have the authority to investigate their conduct. According to Florida law, a sworn complaint with the Commission on Ethics is required to initiate an investigation into conduct of elected officials.
An open letter sparks controversy
In an open letter to the school board, 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.
School board member Janice Kerekes, who represents District 1, called for a full-scale investigation into the allegations and requested that the board discuss and take action regarding the open letter at its next meeting on Aug. 18. Instead, McKinnon, the board's chair, decided to hold a special board meeting Wednesday to review the issues raised in the letter.
"I believe it is in the best interest of the district that we hold a special meeting for the purpose of reviewing the facts surrounding allegations brought to the board last week," McKinnon said. "As board chair, I have a responsibility to remain objective and neutral. When an individual within the district raises concerns of this nature, it is normal to undertake a fact-finding process."
She said she wrote a research paper last year under the guise it was for the school system, but she now believes it was turned into Regent University as part of Van Zant's master's degree. She said Van Zant asked for MLA citations and gave her four or five textbooks from Regent University to use.
Kerekes said having senior staff “literally do his homework” would be “appallingly unethical” for Van Zant, and it could be both a state and federal offense to falsely label students as Exception Student Education, which means they require special accommodation and increases funding for the district.