JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The video attached to this story is from a previous, unrelated report.
The State Board of Education sent a sternly worded letter to Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Diana Greene Tuesday, citing 50 previously unreported campus incidents and hinting that her salary could be in jeopardy for allegedly failing to comply with teacher reporting requirements.
The letter from Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. says Greene failed to follow state statutes when reporting "educator misconduct," and called the failure "completely unacceptable."
The letter comes amid rising political pressure on Greene since Douglas Anderson School of the Arts vocal teacher Jeffrey Clayton was arrested in March. He faces four counts related to alleged lewd conduct with a student.
Since then, two other teachers, who remain under investigation, were also removed from DA classrooms. A meeting is scheduled Wednesday to discuss the district's investigation into the matter.
The letter is the second that DOE has sent to Greene in the past week. Last Wednesday, the vice chancellor of the state’s Office of Safe Schools sent Greene a letter saying it had not been notified of an earlier allegation against Clayton from 2021.
The district responded, saying that the district did notify two state agencies -- the Department of Children and Families and DOE's Office of Professional Practice -- but didn't report it to Office of Safe Schools because the allegation did not rise to the level of a reportable incident, like sexual harassment. But in his letter, Diaz says the PPS did not receive notice of the 2021 incident as the district claims.
He also said that four days ago, DCPS reported 50 additional cases to PPS that were not previously reported, some dating back to 2020.
In a statement in response to Diaz's letter, School Board Chair Dr. Kelly Coker said she was "deeply troubled to learn the district has only recently sent upwards of 50 investigative cases involving educators in Duval County Public Schools to the Office of Professional Practices for the Florida Department of Education (FDOE)." She added, "our Board has every expectation that our district will adhere to the laws which govern our work with students. I am confident this topic will be a part of our discussion in the Special Board Meeting I have called for Wednesday, April 26. The children of Duval County deserve better..."
Diaz's letter also hinted that Greene may face financial penalties. "I cannot and will not tolerate delays in reporting educator misconduct to PPS," he wrote, noting that state statute carries "a one-year forfeiture of salary for superintendents who fail to comply" with reporting requirements.
The letter cites "grave concerns" over DCPS's "lack of reporting," which Diaz says put students at risk.
"It is completely unacceptable that DCPS did not timely report these cases as required by Florida Statute," Diaz writes. He calls for an immediate response from DCPS.
Diaz's full letter is at the bottom of this story.
First Coast News reached out to the Superintendent for comment. She gave us the following statement:
I was surprised and angered to learn from Commissioner Diaz that our office of professional standards apparently was in possession of 50 delinquent case files, which they recently sent to the state office of professional practices.
Our most recent state operational audit reviewed the effectiveness of board policies and district procedures in investigations and reporting of ethical conduct of instructional personnel and school administrators. There were no audit findings on this topic in the January 2023 report. Therefore, until receiving the commissioner’s letter, I had no indication that we were out of compliance with any file.
I agree completely with the commissioner that delays in reporting cannot be tolerated. We will look into this matter further and take appropriate action following our review.
Dr. Diana Greene
Superintendent
Duval County Public Schools
Community worried Greene will be ousted
While the state has not called for Greene's firing, the community has expressed concern that she could be ousted.
In light of the growing pressure, supporters of Greene gathered Monday night at district headquarters expressing concerns that her job may be at risk.
"She is the first black female superintendent in Duval County, and we cannot allow her to suffer for the failure of a system," former DCPS school board member Elizabeth Anderson said.
But Coker said in a statement she was "appalled to know that district leadership was aware of this teacher’s behavior as recently as 2021," a seeming barb aimed at Greene. And City Councilman Rory Diamond, who opposes Greene, is aligned with two conservative School Board Members April Carney and Charlotte Joyce.
Five superintendents have been ousted from their seats since the November elections, which ushered in a new crop of board members, many of them endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The district's underreporting of campus crimes was the subject of a scathing grand jury report in 2019 that said former chief of the Duval County Schools Police Department, Micheal P. Edwards deliberately manipulated and underreported criminal activity taking place on school grounds without regard for student safety.
That investigation was referenced in a statement released Tuesday afternoon from Board Member April Carney said Diaz's letter underscored "the urgency of the Board taking action to investigate and remedy the systemic issues regarding underreporting of incidents within the District." She said she was "appalled that the recommendations from the 20th Grand Jury Report have not been taken seriously by District Leadership."
Carney then urged Duval County residents to read the grand jury report which said the community needed "to determine whether, even without additional criminal charges, that a more thorough housecleaning may be in order. We certainly believe that to be the case.” She promised to "take swift action, because every day that goes by our students safety is at risk."
Read Diaz's letter in full:
Dear Superintendent Greene:
This letter serves to express my grave concerns with Duval County Public Schools' (DCPS) lack of reporting to the Florida Department of Education's Office of Professional Practices Services (PPS); therefore, putting the health, safety, and welfare of students in jeopardy. In March 2023, DCPS reported Jeff Clayton, an educator at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts to PPS. While reviewing the allegation against Mr. Clayton, PPS discovered that DCPS had previously investigated Mr. Clayton on multiple occasions during his career for similar conduct dating as far back as 2006, without ever reporting the allegations to PPS. This extended delay in reporting cases extremely hampers the Department's investigative efforts when dealing with PPS cases and puts students at risk. As Commissioner, and in conjunction with the entire Department, I am charged with protecting the health, safety, and welfare of Florida's students, a responsibility I take very seriously. Since becoming Commissioner, I have consistently set and enforced the highest expectations for our district leaders when it comes to student safety, including the timely reporting of incidents of educator misconduct.
On April 21, 2023, DCPS reported fifty (50) cases to PPS. These cases date back as far as 2020, span three different school years, and were not previously reported to PPS. It is completely unacceptable that DCPS did not timely report these cases as required by Florida Statute.
I cannot and will not tolerate delays in reporting educator misconduct to PPS. Section 1012.796(1)(d)l, Florida Statutes, states in part that all school districts are required to report legally sufficient complaints to the Department within 30 days of the complaint coming to the attention of the district. As Superintendent, one of your many duties listed in Section 1001.51, Florida Statutes, requires you to ensure that DCPS complies with the 30-day reporting period. This section of the statute carries with it a one-year forfeiture of salary for superintendents who fail to comply.
In October 2019, the State Board of Education adopted Rule 6A-10.082, F.A.C., which clearly enumerates 15 criminal offenses that must be reported to PPS within 24 hours of the individual's arrest or conviction. These deadlines must be adhered to in order for the district and the state to work together to quickly mitigate potential risks to student safety. Timely reporting also allows PPS to place a notification of a pending case on the educator's profile in the educator certification database, so other school districts are aware and can make informed decisions regarding potential employment.
Finally, you were previously copied on a letter from Commissioner Corcoran to the Manatee County School District in June 2020, about the importance of reporting allegations of educator misconduct to PPS.
As the Commissioner of Education, my first priority is protecting Florida's students. Any delays in the required reporting of educator misconduct risks the health, safety, and welfare of our students. These delays are unacceptable and something I will not tolerate. I expect an immediate response on how DCPS will correct these deficiencies and ensure that all future reports to PPS.