The Dolphin Resort, where a teacher was arrested in February, nearly two months before being removed from his classroom at Douglas Anderson. | Loren Javier/Flickr, used under Creative Commons license
Published on October 7, 2024 at 9:33 pm
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Earlier this year, Duval Schools faced criticism for waiting six weeks to remove a teacher from his classroom at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts after he was arrested and charged with publicly exposing himself. Internal documents reviewed by Jacksonville Today show the school district investigator assigned to the case asked for the math teacher to be immediately removed, but her request was denied.
Christopher Allen-Black, 54, was arrested at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort on Feb. 24. According to the police report, several hotel guests reported a man standing naked in front of his hotel room window who appeared to be masturbating as he looked out over the resort’s pool. Allen-Black pleaded not guilty. He was released on $2,500 bond and his case continues to work its way through the court system.
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Documents DCPS provided in response to a public records request by Jacksonville Today show that Allen-Black did not self-report his arrest, but the district received notice from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement within hours of it on Saturday, Feb. 24.
The school district opened an investigation on Tuesday, Feb. 27, and it assigned a professional standards investigator to the case the next day. That investigator immediately requested Allen-Black be removed from his classroom and assigned to “temporary duty elsewhere,” but her request was denied.
On Monday, March 11, the investigator received the full police report and again requested that Allen-Black be reassigned outside the classroom. Her request was again denied.
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The documents do not indicate who denied her requests or why, and district officials did not respond to Jacksonville Today’s request for that information by the time of publication.
The investigator also requested and received body-worn camera footage of the incident from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Allen-Black was the fifth of seven teachers to be removed from student contact at Douglas Anderson in the last 18 months. He started in the district as middle school teacher in 1993, and he taught at the arts high school for a total of 16 years, off and on, starting in 2003. He was named Teacher of the Year twice (once at DA) and was a district semifinalist once.
When he left Douglas Anderson for a stint teaching in the Boston area in 2010, the records show he emailed his resignation letter to then-Principal Jackie Cornelius.
She responded, “It is with great regret I accept…only because I can’t stop you from going nor would I ever…I wish you the very best, Chris…you are one of a kind and will be solely [sic] missed…”
A Duval Schools spokesperson said in April that Allen-Black was removed from his classroom on April 11. The newly released documents indicate he was removed on April 16.
When the school year ended, he was not fired, but the district chose to not renew his contract.
