Douglas Anderson teacher had complaints of inappropriate conduct

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In its termination letter to longtime Douglas Anderson teacher Jeffrey Clayton, Duval County school officials cited four substantiated disciplinary actions against him.

Two of those included inappropriate physical conduct with a student.

However, state officials say they can only locate one of the conduct complaints, and they are demanding answers. In letter to Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene sent Wednesday, the vice chancellor of the state’s Office of Safe Schools gives her five days to confirm if the school district submitted the required incident report for the 2021 incident.

“If the District did not submit a SESIR report for this incident, please explain why and what actions the District is taking to ensure all SESIR incidents are reported appropriately.” (SESIR stands for School Environmental Safety Incident Reporting System.)

In response to questions, school district spokesperson Dr. Tracy Pierce said they are looking into the missing filing and will respond to the state “within the timeline requested.”

However, Pierce noted several points:

“1. We did report it to [the Department of Children and Families]

2. Our file indicates we did send it to the Florida Department of Education Professional Practices Office.”

In a statement, School Board Chair Dr. Kelly Coker said, 

“Today’s letter from the Florida Department of Education further illuminates why our School Board is already pressing for a comprehensive external investigation. 

We must determine what led to the incident involving Jeffrey Clayton and fully review district practices and policies to ensure we meet our most important goal of keeping students safe.”

Clayton, longtime chair of the performing arts school’s vocal department, was removed from the classroom in March and arrested at the school campus on charges of soliciting or engaging in lewd conduct with a student.

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He has since been charged with four counts, including lewd or lascivious touching of a minor, offenses against students and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. He pleaded not guilty.

Documents obtained Wednesday by First Coast News include Clayton’s termination letter from DCPS, which identifies the four earlier sustained complaints – in January 2006, March 2008, and in November 2016 and 2021.

In its letter to Superintendent Greene, the state cites the school district’s description of the incident. It says Clayton “engaged in inappropriate physical contact and inappropriate communications with and/or in the presence of students when he placed his arm on the shoulder of a student, rubbed her back, and told her she was beautiful.”

The letter continues, “DCPS initiated a Title IX inquiry and provided supportive measures that included moving the student out of Mr. Clayton’s class and discussed the possibility of a no-contact contract.”

But that incident doesn’t show up in the state’s database of mandated SESIR reports, which include incidents involving violence, bullying, weapons and sexual misconduct.

According to an arrest warrant in Clayton’s pending criminal case, on March 17, a student’s father dropped her off for a one-on-one voice lesson with the 65-year-old teacher. The student said he began rubbing her thighs, then kissing the student with an open mouth.

Investigators set up a controlled call between the victim and Clayton. The student also provided some 1,700 texts between her and Clayton.

Since Clayton’s arrest, First Coast News has heard from numerous current and former teachers and alumni who say he had a reputation for in appropriate conduct, but complaints had been ignored.

“You would see the way he would take liberties with the female students to touch them on the shoulder or the back or bring them in closer to him,” said Ben Ebner-Winkler, a sophomore at Douglas Anderson. “And the way he would speak to them wasn’t just patronizing them, it was like he was in on some joke with them, but it was weird to see how comfortable he felt touching the female students.”

Last Friday, the Principal Tina Wilson sent an update to parents and guardians saying investigators “have identified approximately 140 students with whom they would like to conduct a brief interview. These students have been identified based on class rosters and participation in certain programs in recent years.”

In an email that same day Green told parents, “an external law firm will conduct a broad investigation into employment behavior and handling of allegations and reports of improper conduct over the history of the school.”