JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County School Board has decided to delay a vote on a policy revision concerning teacher fraternization with students.
The Chapter 6 policy revision aims to protect students, the reputation of the school district and its employees, ensure the continued effectiveness of district employees, and prevent disruption of the educational process.
The revisions include encouraging employees to avoid the appearance of impropriety and abstain from sending private messages to students. It also requires employees to use district-approved communication tools and applications when communicating with students.
During a public hearing on the policy, Susan Aertker expressed her concerns, noting that she expected the board to revise the policy before voting. She suggested replacing the term “unprofessional” with a more specific policy revision.
“Instead of saying that, you could say, if anybody says anything that’s racist or homophobic they could take sensitivity training, which I think would be a really good idea,” she explained.
After much discussion, a district staff member clarified that the board wanted to revise policy 6.83 before voting, while the policy under consideration was 6.84.
Cindy Pearson, District 3 board member, emphasized the need to review the two similar policies together to ensure clarity and effectiveness.
“The purpose of the rule is to protect students,” Pearson said. “If there is this much confusion among the board about which policy is which, we really should consider them together and be very clear in our own minds before we pass something that affects students and our staff.”
District 4 board member Darryl Willie agreed that the policies were similar, noting that one addresses professional and civil communications while the other lists specific terms like slanderous and obscene. He stressed the importance of defining these terms clearly.
“We also heard from Council where you want to list, but don’t go into too many details, because then you miss some things, and then people can come slide through the cracks on certain pieces,” Willie said. “We just need to figure out which level in line we want to sit to make sure both students, families, staff, and the community know where we land.”
The school board plans to revisit the policy vote after further discussion with the related policy in the near future.