JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A long-buried investigative report is shedding new light on years of missed warning signs involving a former teacher at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts.
The report, completed in 2024 but only recently obtained by JAX Today and shared with News4JAX, centers on Douglas Anderson and its former music teacher, Jeffrey Clayton, who was arrested in March 2023 for inappropriate conduct with a student. Clayton has since pleaded guilty and is serving a 10-year prison sentence.
Commissioned by the Duval County School Board, the investigation was conducted by the law firm Weiss Serota. It outlines a troubling pattern of inaction and procedural failures that allowed Clayton to remain in the classroom despite multiple disciplinary incidents over nearly two decades.
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According to the report, Clayton was formally disciplined four times in 2006, 2008, 2016 and 2021. Two of those cases involved inappropriate physical conduct with a student. Other incidents cited inappropriate professional boundaries.
Despite those findings, Clayton received only Level 1 or Level 2 disciplinary measures and continued teaching until his arrest in 2023.
The firm interviewed 20 current and former employees and reviewed thousands of documents, including personnel records and internal emails.
The report also criticized broader systemic issues within DCPS, pointing to:
- Understaffing in the Office of Professional Standards.
- Inadequate training for administrators and HR personnel in handling investigations.
- Outdated, paper-based personnel files.
- Delays in reporting misconduct to the state, often linked to staffing and technology deficiencies.
To prevent future failures, the law firm recommended several changes:
- Implement modern tracking software for misconduct cases.
- Improve investigative training for school leaders.
- Address chronic staff shortages and turnover.
- Upgrade qualifications and tools used by human resources.
- Clarify the district’s progressive discipline policy.
Clayton is one of multiple Douglas Anderson staff members accused of misconduct in recent years.
The school district responded to News4JAX with a written statement:
“Student safety is paramount, and under the leadership of our school board and Superintendent Dr. Bernier, we have implemented a comprehensive plan to protect students, strengthen our systems, and prevent employee misconduct. This plan includes the following significant changes:
- Today, students can report allegations directly to the district using an online reporting form.
- Policy changes require the immediate reassignment of an employee to duties without student contact when an allegation of this nature is received.
- Policy now clearly stipulates disciplinary action for an employee who fails to report an allegation of this nature.
- Clear guidelines have been established regarding direct communication among employees, students, and families.
- Professional Standards staffing has been increased, and electronic database reporting and tracking have been implemented
- Staff training has been significantly expanded on ethics, reporting responsibilities, appropriate methods of communication with students, Title IX, and similar topics.
- The Know the Line campaign was launched to help parents recognize the healthy boundaries that should exist between students and employees and how to report concerns."
The school district also shared Principal Timothy Feagins’ personal message to the Douglas Anderson community.
To read the full JAX Today story, visit jaxtoday.org.