{"id":121132,"date":"2025-08-05T14:56:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T14:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/121132\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T14:56:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T14:56:10","slug":"explaining-duval-county-public-schools-policy-changes-over-the-last-year-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/121132\/","title":{"rendered":"Explaining Duval County Public Schools\u2019 policy changes over the last year"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><strong>JACKSONVILLE, Fla.<\/strong> \u2013 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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Last August, the district introduced the \u201cKnow the Line\u201d program, designed to help parents and students recognize inappropriate behavior by school employees and understand how to report it.<\/p>\n<p><b>Creating a student safety blueprint<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The same night Bernier was sworn in as superintendent, the school board approved a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2024\/07\/02\/live-dr-christopher-bernier-gets-sworn-in-as-new-dcps-superintendent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2024\/07\/02\/live-dr-christopher-bernier-gets-sworn-in-as-new-dcps-superintendent\/\">$1.4 million settlement<\/a> concerning three former Douglas Anderson students. He addressed professional ethics during that meeting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cWe have to turn a page, but we cannot forget the history of what transpired,\u201d Bernier said. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The plan was prompted by multiple allegations of misconduct at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, including the 2023 arrest of longtime teacher <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/topic\/Jeffrey_Clayton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/topic\/Jeffrey_Clayton\/\">Jeffrey Clayton<\/a>. His arrest exposed a toxic culture at the school, leading to several teachers being removed during investigations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2024\/06\/27\/dcps-releases-new-student-safety-plan-to-protect-kids-from-predators-amid-abuse-inappropriate-conduct-allegations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2024\/06\/27\/dcps-releases-new-student-safety-plan-to-protect-kids-from-predators-amid-abuse-inappropriate-conduct-allegations\/\">safety plan<\/a> outlines six key strategies: <\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>Improving policies<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>Strengthening investigations and external reporting<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>Enhancing staff training<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>Raising student awareness about inappropriate adult behavior <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>Increasing knowledge of reporting options<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>Boosting parent awareness of inappropriate conduct between employees and students<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Key changes to protect students<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Laureen Ricks, a representative for DCPS, provided a statement to News4JAX about the policy changes:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 bqJyUE iQviKm block-quote\">\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 ewwUYq\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 ewwUYq\">Key changes include:<\/p>\n<p>Laureen Ricks, Duval County Schools<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><b>\u2018Know the Line\u2019 program <\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Part of the district\u2019s approach is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2024\/10\/15\/students-are-inevitably-going-to-feel-safer-in-schools-duval-county-student-shares-perspective-on-know-the-line\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2024\/10\/15\/students-are-inevitably-going-to-feel-safer-in-schools-duval-county-student-shares-perspective-on-know-the-line\/\">\u201cKnow the Line\u201d<\/a> program, which educates students and parents about healthy boundaries between students and school employees. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The program also simplifies the process for reporting misconduct.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2024\/10\/05\/douglas-anderson-teacher-reported-for-having-onlyfans-page-among-19-dcps-employees-temporarily-removed-since-august\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2024\/10\/05\/douglas-anderson-teacher-reported-for-having-onlyfans-page-among-19-dcps-employees-temporarily-removed-since-august\/\">Within a month of launching<\/a>, the district received more than 100 reports of employee misconduct, resulting in 19 teachers and staff being temporarily removed from their positions.<\/p>\n<p><b>Speeding up response times<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2024\/09\/03\/duval-county-school-board-mulls-ethics-policy-changes-wants-input-from-parents-after-teacher-misconduct-allegations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2024\/09\/03\/duval-county-school-board-mulls-ethics-policy-changes-wants-input-from-parents-after-teacher-misconduct-allegations\/\">September 2024<\/a>, the Duval County School Board unanimously approved updates to its ethics policy. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Under the new policy, the superintendent must be notified within 24 hours of any incident, followed by notification to the school board. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Employees accused of child abuse, bodily harm, or illegal drug use must be immediately removed from contact with students.<\/p>\n<p>Morning Blend<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 kiwhtN\">Start your morning with our daily forecast, trending news and stories curated by The Morning Show team.<\/p>\n<p><b>Emphasizing ongoing vigilance<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Bernier addressed the progress of the \u201cKnow the Line\u201d program during his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2024\/10\/15\/students-are-inevitably-going-to-feel-safer-in-schools-duval-county-student-shares-perspective-on-know-the-line\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2024\/10\/15\/students-are-inevitably-going-to-feel-safer-in-schools-duval-county-student-shares-perspective-on-know-the-line\/\">October<\/a> report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cWe continue to work the process of \u2018Know the Line.\u2019 I do believe we\u2019ve had more teachers this year identified and put on temporary duty, but that\u2019s 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><b>Looking ahead<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">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\u2019s response.<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Over the past year, Duval County Public Schools has taken significant steps to protect students&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":121133,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5136],"tags":[5229,13915,26459,75252,75251,56179,407,75250,3188,723,7310,75076,12013,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-121132","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-back-to-school","10":"tag-dcps","11":"tag-douglas-anderson-school-of-the-arts","12":"tag-dr-christopher-bernier","13":"tag-duval-county-public-schools","14":"tag-education","15":"tag-ethics-policy","16":"tag-fl","17":"tag-florida","18":"tag-jacksonville","19":"tag-know-the-line","20":"tag-morning-show","21":"tag-united-states","22":"tag-united-states-of-america","23":"tag-unitedstates","24":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","25":"tag-us","26":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114976743938340902","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121132"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121132\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}