Student safety focus: Explaining Duval County Public Schools’ policy changes over the last year

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Over the past year, Duval County Public Schools has taken significant steps to protect students by updating its ethics policies and launching educational programs aimed at preventing employee misconduct.

Last August, the district introduced the “Know the Line” program, designed to help parents and students recognize inappropriate behavior by school employees and understand how to report it.

Creating a student safety blueprint

When Dr. Christopher Bernier became superintendent in July 2024, the district was already developing a comprehensive safety plan. In June 2024, DCPS released an eight-page student safety blueprint focused on protecting children from predators.

The same night Bernier was sworn in as superintendent, the school board approved a $1.4 million settlement concerning three former Douglas Anderson students. He addressed professional ethics during that meeting.

“We have to turn a page, but we cannot forget the history of what transpired,” Bernier said. “We have to move forward in a way that is very clear to our community and our employees that behaving professionally and ethically is non-negotiable, and if you violate that professional level of ethics, there will be consequences.”

The plan was prompted by multiple allegations of misconduct at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, including the 2023 arrest of longtime teacher Jeffrey Clayton. His arrest exposed a toxic culture at the school, leading to several teachers being removed during investigations.

The safety plan outlines six key strategies:

  • Improving policies
  • Strengthening investigations and external reporting
  • Enhancing staff training
  • Raising student awareness about inappropriate adult behavior
  • Increasing knowledge of reporting options
  • Boosting parent awareness of inappropriate conduct between employees and students

Key changes to protect students

Laureen Ricks, a representative for DCPS, provided a statement to News4JAX about the policy changes:

We appreciate the opportunity to address such an important issue. 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.

Key changes include:

Laureen Ricks, Duval County Schools

‘Know the Line’ program

Part of the district’s approach is the “Know the Line” program, which educates students and parents about healthy boundaries between students and school employees.

The program also simplifies the process for reporting misconduct.

Within a month of launching, the district received more than 100 reports of employee misconduct, resulting in 19 teachers and staff being temporarily removed from their positions.

Speeding up response times

In September 2024, the Duval County School Board unanimously approved updates to its ethics policy.

The revisions focus on speeding up investigations and clarifying procedures when employees are accused of misconduct or crimes, even if incidents occur outside school grounds.

Under the new policy, the superintendent must be notified within 24 hours of any incident, followed by notification to the school board.

Employees accused of child abuse, bodily harm, or illegal drug use must be immediately removed from contact with students.

Emphasizing ongoing vigilance

Bernier addressed the progress of the “Know the Line” program during his October report.

“We continue to work the process of ‘Know the Line.’ I do believe we’ve had more teachers this year identified and put on temporary duty, but that’s exactly what should be happening in an organization that is now watching more carefully to ensure both our students, adults, and other people who visit our school are in the safest position possible,” he said.

Looking ahead

News4JAX made a records request to learn how many employee misconduct reports have been made over the past year, and we are awaiting the district’s response.


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