DCPS issues apology for not removing Douglas Anderson teacher sooner
Last week Chris Allen-Black, a math teacher at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, was arrested in February for exposing himself.
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Action News Jax told you that he wasn’t removed from the classroom for weeks after the arrest.
RELATED: Douglas Anderson teacher re-assigned, accused of ‘exposure of sexual organs’ in Orange County
Now, DCPS Superintendent Dana Kriznar said Allen-Black should have been removed from the classroom long before he was.
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He was allowed to stay in the classroom for nearly two months despite being charged for exposing himself at a resort on Disney property.
Orange County deputies said Allen-Black was arrested on Feb. 24 but the school district said he wasn’t removed from the classroom until April 11.
The report said the victims saw him standing naked in front of a hotel window. It adds he was touching himself on one of the top floors overlooking the pool.
On Friday, Kriznar sent a statement to Douglas Anderson families that read in part:
“In hindsight, the decision to pull him from the classroom should have been immediate given the nature of the charge against him. Additionally, following our normal procedures, only the teacher’s students’ families were notified. Given the current situation at the school, we should have informed all of you.”
DCPS Superintendent Dana Kriznar
Action News Jax Ben Becker pressed the school district all week to prove it conferred with the Office of the General Council.
That’s because the district claimed it did -- in its original statement last week. But a public records request only turned up one email.
RELATED: State senator calls out current superintendent for issues at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts
But today, the district admitted to Becker it never sought guidance until April 15, which was four days after Allen-Black was kicked out of the classroom -- and two days before parents were notified.
The district called their original statement, “unintentionally misleading.”
As a result, DCPS provided the following timeline of events for clarification.
We opened our investigation on Feb. 27 when we learned of his arrest.
We notified the Department of Education on Feb. 28.
We received the police report on the incident on March 11.
Principal Wilson relieved him of his teaching duties on April 11.
The district reviewed the situation with OGC on April 15.
Based on OGC guidance, we formally reassigned him on April 16 to duties off campus and with no student contact.
We notified families of students in his classes on April 17.
Florida Senator of District 4, Clay Yarborough, who called out the current superintendent earlier this week, issued this statement concerning issues at Douglas Anderson:
“While I am thankful it appears an effort has been made to send communication to parents related to the most recent issue, I call on DCPS and COJ OGC to immediately release the results of the taxpayer-funded investigation into the 2023 scandal that the Superintendent and School Board were briefed on. To do so could help give parents and the public confidence that whatever responsive measures DCPS plans to implement are sufficient.”
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