JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Douglas Anderson School of the Arts notified parents Tuesday that a part-time staff member was “released from their position” after a report of inappropriate conduct. The email to parents says that the report involved an incident during a previous school year. 

Principal Timothy M. Feagins said it is an active investigation and therefore, the school will not name the teacher at this time.

“I want to assure you that we will continue to take appropriate action following a full investigation,” Feagins wrote in the email. “Please know that maintaining the safety of our staff and students and building trust within our school community remain my highest priorities.”

In recent years, several other staff members were also removed for misconduct, which led to a change in Duval County Public Schools’ policies. The principal and vice-principal at that time, who predated Feagins, were the subjects of an internal investigation announced in August 2024. 

In August 2024, DA alerted parents that a teacher was being investigated for alleged “inappropriate communication” with a student that took place in the 2022-2023 school year.

In April 2024, former DA math teacher Chris Allen-Black was arrested after he was allegedly seen exposing himself at a hotel in Disney World — and was allowed to stay in the classroom for 45 days afterward. The district later apologized for the decision not to remove him immediately.

And in June 2024, former DA music teacher Jeffrey Clayton was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sex crimes with an underage student that took place in the 2022-2023 school year. In January 2025, DCPS ended up settling a $365,000 settlement in a misconduct lawsuit involving Clayton.

As well, in 2023, three teachers were removed from classrooms at Douglas Anderson for undisclosed reasons. 

In the wake of Clayton’s sentencing, at the time, then-interim superintendent Dana Kriznar said she was “deeply sorry that (the district) did not better protect…students from the actions of these predators,” and wanted to see change. She said that Clayton’s case revealed weaknesses in DCPS policies. 

The district then released new ethics policies defining new guidelines for identifying, reporting and removing teachers from classrooms when they’re accused of misconduct. 

The new action plan listed 20 strategies organized into six categories. One of the policy improvements mentioned in the plan was that any employee who was arrested for child abuse, bodily harm to any person, sexual misconduct or use/distribution of illegal drugs would be removed from student contact. The plan explicitly mentioned “exposure” as one of the sexual misconduct crimes that fell under this rule—a rule that would have prevented Allen-Black from continuing to teach after his arrest.

The plan also modified the district’s policy on “fraternization with students,” specifying that employees texting students (like Clayton), interacting on social media, and/or being alone with students who were not their family members could be grounds for disciplinary action, including termination.

The district added additional investigators to its staff to expedite misconduct investigations and worked with students to educate them about when they should report faculty.

First Coast News has reached out for more information on the teacher mentioned in Tuesday’s email.