close
close
hsuses

Details released on state OIG investigation into delays in reporting teacher misconduct at Duval schools – Action News Jax

Theo

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Action News Jax’s Ben Becker recently obtained an investigative report from the Florida Department of Education’s inspector general into Duval County Public Schools’ delay in reporting dozens of allegations of teacher misconduct to the Office of Professional Practices Services (PPS).

We told you on Thursday that Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. reported the results of the investigation in a letter from Diaz to Interim Superintendent Dr. Dana Kriznar mentioned. In that letter, Diaz said he was concerned about the “lack of progress” on issues “impacting the health, safety and welfare of students in Duval County Public Schools.”

In its “Recommendations” section, the OIG recommended that the Duval County School Board “review its internal policies to ensure that district policies accurately reflect district practices.”

In Thursday’s letter, Diaz cited the recent arrest of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts teacher Christopher Allen-Black charged with exposure of sexual organs, and said the district did not remove Allen-Black from the classroom quickly enough after his arrest on Feb. 24.

The Jan. 25 OIG report states in the “Allegations and Findings” section that “former DCPS-OPS Supervisor Reginald Johnson failed to report suspected teacher misconduct to the FDOE.”

RELATED: Education commissioner raises concerns about student safety in letter sent to DCPS

The OIG said that DCPS should “establish and implement policies to appropriately report and track the submission of cases by OPS to PPS” and to ensure that “all cases have been reported to FDOE PPS upon completion of the district’s audit, as stated.” the state laws require.”

Kriznar told the OIG in December in response to the report’s findings that Johnson was not initially placed on leave in 2023, but “”be relocated to an alternative workplace investigations still pending. After being informed of his transfer, Johnson chose not to work at the alternative job and used his own accrued vacation time. Johnson eventually withdrew from the district.”

According to the report, former superintendent Dr. Diana Greene told the OIG in her testimony that Johnson had been placed on leave but had been reassigned.

(DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for breaking news alerts)

Johnson also responded to the findings in December, “denying that he was solely responsible for reporting teacher misconduct to FDOE PPS and claiming that all investigators ‘had equal responsibility to file their cases but failed to do so.’ .”

Becker also received a letter that Paul Burns, the public schools chancellor, sent to Kriznar on Feb. 13 that said he expected an “immediate response on how DCPS plans to implement and ensure the OIG’s recommendations.” all future reports to PPS are accurate within the statutory deadlines.”

In a Feb. 16 response letter to Burns that Becker received, Kriznar said one of the steps the district had taken to improve reporting was to create “an online reporting system that allows schools to report employee misconduct online.” Report to”.

(LOG IN: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter)

Kriznar said the district “has transitioned from reporting employee misconduct to the FDOE and has transitioned from using the U.S. Postal Service to reporting cases to the FDOE online.”

She also said that the “district has developed an online system for students, parents and community stakeholders to anonymously report employee misconduct directly to the district, without having to go through school or district administration.”

You can read the report, as well as letters from Burns and Kriznar, below:

Click here to download Action News Jax’s free news and weather apps, Click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and Click here to stream Action News Jax live.

Related Posts