JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County School Board is expected to discuss possible policy changes to the Duval County Public Schools handbook on Wednesday.
The changes relate to how employees and students communicate and interact with each other. The goal is to keep things as professional as possible.
The school board wants more time to get clarity on some of the language that might change in the handbook. The earliest the board would vote on any changes would be May.
Some of the language changes being proposed for employees include avoiding the appearance of improper language, behavior, or character and not sending private messages to students.
DCPS workers should only use district-approved communication tools and applications to speak with students.
Employees should not be alone with students without approval from the district.
DCPS staff should not accept documents, information or material from students that can be considered obscene, vulgar or sexually suggestive. If a worker receives anything matching that, they must report it immediately.
The proposed changes to the handbook are a result of several accusations and cases of improper behavior.
The most egregious cases reported relate to Jeffrey Clayton, who was a longtime music teacher at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts.
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in June 2024 after pleading guilty to crimes against a 16-year-old student.
During his court case, a detective testified that phone records showed that there were late-night FaceTime calls and more than 1,000 text messages between Clayton and the student.
Clayton was also caught talking about kissing the victim during a phone call that was recorded by police.
After completing his prison sentence, Clayton will be on probation for three years.
Six different teachers at Douglas Anderson were removed from classrooms for accusations of misconduct or improper behavior.
At least two of them were fired from their positions following investigations, and another one resigned.
