Speakers press board for transparency on Douglas Anderson sex‑misconduct investigation and district settlements

Public commenters at the Duval County School Board’s Jan. 7 meeting renewed calls for the release of a third‑party investigation into allegations of improper staff conduct at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts (DA) and for greater transparency about past administrative failures.

Why it matters: community members and advocates said the district owes taxpayers and victims the results of a taxpayer-funded investigation and must address institutional shortcomings that critics say allowed inappropriate staff-student relationships to persist.

What speakers said

- Shyla Jenkins (identified on the record as Board Member Shyla Jenkins) asked the board to “provide transparency” and to release findings from the third‑party investigation that the board previously authorized. Jenkins said she and others are “no longer willing to wait patiently” for the investigation’s release and asked the board to move “to significant changes in letting the public know what that investigation holds.”

- Natalie Dreyer, representing Moms for Liberty Duval, thanked the superintendent for responding to a separate campus ID‑duplication security breach and praised recent action removing a teacher’s certificate. Dreyer urged elected members to avoid conflicts of interest relating to donors who represent attorneys for multiple accused teachers; she also noted that seven DA teachers have been removed in recent years for inappropriate contact with students and asked for stronger public leadership on the issue.

Clarifying details on the record

- Speakers said the investigation in question was conducted by a third party at the board’s request and described it as taxpayer-funded; they said the public has not yet seen the report.

- Natalie Dreyer referenced district or board action that led to removal of a certificate for an instructor (she named Corey Thayer) and called for elected officials to publicly disavow relationships that might create the appearance of conflicts of interest.

Board and staff response in the record

The board did not take formal action to release the investigation at the Jan. 7 meeting. The superintendent’s office has acknowledged a third‑party investigation exists and said it is working through any legal and procedural constraints that could limit what may be disclosed publicly. The transcript shows community impatience for an expedited release but no vote or definitive public timeline was recorded at this meeting.

Ending

Speakers left the meeting urging the board to accelerate disclosure and remedial action; the board did not vote to release the investigation on Jan. 7.