JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A newly obtained letter suggests the downplaying of crimes is still ongoing within Duval County Schools.
This comes after a grand jury report said Michael Edwards, former chief of police at Duval County Schools, intentionally hid and downplayed crimes in an effort to mask the problem
A letter written to Duval County Superintendent Diana Greene last week from The Director for the Office of Safe Schools Tim Hay claims that the incidents outlined in the grand jury report are ongoing and require immediate action.
"School officials violated - and continue to violate - state law by systematically underreporting incidents of criminal activity to the Florida Department of Education," the letter reads.
"Duval County had written policies in place that permitted administrators to claim they had "consulted" with law enforcement when all they did was a simple phone conversation with the Duval School Police Call Center or a brief passing conversation in the hallway," the letter continues.
It also alleges that DCPS failed to correctly report over 2,000 SESIR (School Environmental Safety Incident Reports) due to a technical glitch.
Hay writes in the letter that due to the gravity of the ongoing issues outlined, there could be a meeting next week with Greene to investigate "these major concerns."
First Coast News reached out to the Duval County School Board for comment after normal business hours had ended Tuesday. We are waiting to hear back.
Edwards resigned early last year after a preliminary report blasted the district for quote “outright fraud” in reporting crime statistics.
The grand jury didn’t hold back in the report, calling Edwards’ conduct quote “absolutely criminal” and “a shocking disregard for student safety.”
But due to what the grand jury called a quirk in Florida law, there will be no charges filed against him.