JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Douglas Anderson School of the Arts has alerted parents a teacher is under investigation for alleged "inappropriate communication" with a student that took place in the 2022-2023 school year.
The school has reassigned the teacher to "duties at a district site with no student interaction," according to an email from the school's new principal, Timothy Feagins, who took up the position at the beginning of this school year.
Feagins says the investigation is confidential and the school expects to give parents more details when it has concluded. First Coast News has requested any available materials related to the investigation. The teacher will not be named at this time because he has not been charged with a crime.
This announcement comes about two months after the district voted to pay $1.45 million to victims of previous misconduct at Douglas Anderson.
Not the first
The teacher is accused of misconduct in the same school year that former Douglas Anderson music teacher Jeffrey Clayton was arrested for sex crimes with a minor student. He was later sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Also in 2023, three other teachers were removed from classrooms at Douglas Anderson for undisclosed reasons. In April 2024, former DA math teacher Chris Allen-Black was arrested after he was allegedly seen exposing himself at a hotel in Disney World -- and allowed to stay in the classroom for 45 days afterward. The district later apologized for the decision not to remove him immediately.
In the wake of Clayton's trial, Duval County Public Schools worked up a new plan to protect student safety, announced in June. Then-Superintendent Dana Kriznar said in June that the plan was developed because Clayton's arrest exposed "weaknesses" in the district's policies protecting students.
New policies
The plan involved adding investigators to its staff to expedite misconduct investigations.
In August, following the implementation of this plan, investigations into former DA principal Tina Wilson and former vice principal Lordes Gee began. The conclusion of these investigations have not been released.
Part of this plan also modified the district's policy on "fraternization with students," qualifying that employees texting students (like Clayton), interacting on social media, and/or being alone with students who are not their family members could be grounds for disciplinary action, including termination.
If students want to report misconduct without speaking to someone in person, the district has provided a form that can be filled out by clicking here. Students can also report issues through the DCPS app, explained here.
The full student safety plan document can be found embedded below or at this link.