JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The former principal and former vice principal of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts are under internal investigation, Duval County Public Schools confirmed Thursday.
DCPS says there are "active professional standards investigations" into Tina Wilson, the former principal who now works with the district in another capacity, and Lordes Gee, the former vice principal, who does not work with DCPS anymore.
Douglas Anderson has been making headlines for misconduct allegations since March 2023, when then-music teacher Jeffrey Clayton was arrested for sex crimes with an underage student. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Math teacher Christopher Allen-Black was then arrested in February 2024 after he allegedly exposed himself at a Disney World hotel. He was allowed to remain teaching for over a month, sparking outrage from Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz. Diaz penned a letter to then-Superintendent Dana Kriznar sharing his concerns about the "lack of progress and action" on the issue of student safety at DCPS. Diaz had previously sent a letter after Clayton's arrest, saying the district failed to properly report at least 50 campus incidents and conduct violations.
In June, Kriznar said the district was continuing investigations at Douglas Anderson to "determine if any unaddressed allegations remain." DCPS has not disclosed if the investigations into Gee and Wilson are related to this.
DCPS launched a new student safety plan in June. Kriznar said at the time that the plan was created in the wake of Clayton's arrest, which exposed "weaknesses" in the district's policies.
The new action plan lists 20 strategies organized into six categories. One of the policy improvements mentioned in the plan is that any employee who is arrested for child abuse, bodily harm to any person, sexual misconduct or use/distribution of illegal drugs will be removed from student contact. The plan explicitly mentions "exposure" as one of the sexual misconduct crimes that falls under this rule, a rule which would have prevented Allen-Black from continuing to teach after his arrest.
The plan also modifies 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.
The district will be adding additional investigators to its staff to expedite misconduct investigations and working with students to educate them about when they should report faculty.
