JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Duval County School District may face lawsuits soon after the arrest of a former teacher at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts.
Longtime vocal coach Jeffrey Clayton is charged with lewd conduct with a student. Since his arrest, many former colleagues and students have come forward with complaints that the district didn’t respond to earlier reports about him.
The District’s Chief Legal Counsel Ray Poole told DCPS school board members at a workshop this week they should prepare for lawsuits from the families of students.
Jacksonville attorney Brad Gibson and St. Augustine Attorney Chris Moser put the district on notice that lawsuits might be coming.
Gibson said his client hasn’t conclusively decided to pursue legal action, but state law requires at least six months advance notice to government agencies before filing suit.
His firm is conducting its own investigation.
“To see what exactly has been going on, how much the school knew, what were their actions if and when complaints were raised in the past,” Gibson said.
He said it’s tough for an organization to investigation itself.
“Any time you’ve got a situation like what’s been alleged here,” Gibson said. “It’s always a safer course of action to get independent people involved doing an investigation.”
Controversy’s been brewing since Clayton’s arrest. Two other Douglas Anderson teachers were removed from classrooms in the days that followed, though the district won’t say why.
“While it can be scary and a lot of people don’t want to be involved in things like that,” Gibson said. “I would just say that if something’s happened that you’ve seen or that you experienced, you are doing the next group of kids a favor by speaking out.”
If you suspect any adult of misconduct, you should report it to the Department of Child and Families Abuse Hotline: 1-800-962-2873.
You can email Gibson at da@learnyourrights.com or Moser at moserlaw@gmail.com to share stories about anything you saw or heard at Douglas Anderson.
District Spokesperson Dr. Tracy Pierce said they’ll unveil plans for Douglas Anderson soon but can't right now.
First Coast News renewed our standing request to interview Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene. We’ve been told “no” until the investigation is complete.
School Board Chair Dr. Kelly Coker issued the following statement to First Coast News:
"The Duval County School Board is fully committed to understanding all aspects of the situation at Douglas Anderson. In collaboration with the Superintendent and through the City Office of General Counsel, we are pursuing a third party, independent legal investigation with the goal of revealing facts and determining accountability. Independent oversight is beneficial to the inherent credibility of the process. In the simplest terms, the district cannot investigate itself. A complete, thorough investigation and exploration of accountability is the primary objective of the School Board at this time."