JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A former Duval County teacher is in jail Wednesday, charged with molesting a third-grader in his classroom.
Douglas Bailey, 57, resigned in April but was arrested by police last week. News4Jax learned about Bailey's arrest on Monday.
According to students at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in the Marietta area on the Westside, the teacher fondled a boy several times during the school year in front of other classmates.
A lengthy report from school investigators showed that they began looking into the allegations in March. But according to the report, the children in the classroom said the molestation was going on all year long.
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Teacher arrested on molestation charges
The report is heavily redacted, but numerous students were interviewed about what they saw happening between Bailey and the student. Parents were asked about what their children told them. The findings were released to News4Jax this week.
In one of the interviews, a student told investigators they saw Bailey fondle a student, stating it happened when students would raise their hand to answer a question. A second student told investigators Bailey fondled him when he went up to Bailey's desk to ask a question. He also said Bailey would grab his arm and make him do the same in return.
Part of the report reads:
"Mr. Bailey exercised poor judgment when he touched and rub(bed) the genital area of the student on multiple occasions. Additionally, Mr. Bailey took the arm of the student and moved the student's hand in order to rub Mr. Bailey's genital area on multiple occasions."
The report says one parent was told by another student about what happened. That parent urged the student to come forward and tell school officials what was taking place in the classroom.
The principal then informed the state about the accusations, which led to the investigation.
Close friends of Bailey that have known him for years said they don't believe the allegations. Of the 16 students interviewed by investigators, 13 said they had never been touched nor had they seen Bailey touch students with the exception of a pat on the back.
News4JAX found an evaluation of professional growth on Bailey. It shows he never received a mark below satisfactory.
Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti released a statement Wednesday on the investigation:
"For the past several months, the district has been working collaboratively with the Department of Children and Families, law enforcement and professional standards' officials to conduct a full investigation into the allegations surrounding the misconduct of a Thomas Jefferson Elementary School teacher," the statement said. "Upon notification in mid-March of these allegations, Mr. Bailey was immediately removed from the classroom and placed in a non-school environment as the investigations ensued."
The School Board investigation found that Bailey had violated several state codes, as well as School Board policy. The School Board violation "recommends termination for behavior of this magnitude," Vitti said.
Vitti said that after seeing the findings, he recommended immediate termination for Bailey, which led to Bailey's resignation.
"While our screening guidelines, which are more strict than even state law, did not reveal any past activity or behavior, Mr. Bailey's actions were egregious and subsequently and appropriately found to be criminal," Vitti's statement said. "We work very hard to establish a culture of trust, transparency and collaboration -- efforts that led to the report of the abuse and the immediate actions that followed.
"As superintendent, I commit to maintaining and strengthening these environments for the 120,000-plus students our 14,000 employees are entrusted to serve."
During the investigation Bailey had an attorney. News4Jax contacted his attorney but she said she has stepped down and he is now being represented by the public defender's office.
Bailey is being held in the Duval County Jail on a $500,000 bond.