Manatee School Board accepts resignation of employee 'while under investigation' after public accusations of misconduct

The Manatee County School Board voted 4-1 on April 29 to accept an employee's resignation "while under investigation" after public comment alleging that a fifth-grade teacher at B.D. Gullet Elementary School engaged in repeated inappropriate conduct toward students.

The action followed a series of public comments by parents and community members who said they had raised concerns with district staff and asked the board to prioritize student safety. Anne Mitchell, a parent who said her 11-year-old daughter was affected, described the conduct in detail and urged the board to pursue termination rather than accept a resignation.

"This teacher engaged in serious and egregious misconduct involving my daughter and other students at B. D. Gullet Elementary School," Mitchell said during public comment. "These were sustained violations of the most basic teacher standards of trust and safety. ... Termination was and remains the necessary and rightful response."

Mitchell and other speakers, including a grandfather who said his family had not been informed about the employee's resignation, told the board they were concerned about transparency and about the district's decisions in how to handle the allegations.

Superintendent Weisong told the board he recommended that the board accept the resignation while the Office of Professional Standards and any external agencies complete their investigations. "Our practice is to accept the resignation, label it while under investigation, and bring it to the board for approval," Weisong said, describing steps the district takes after credible allegations involving student welfare.

District counsel and legal staff explained the tradeoffs between pursuing a formal termination and accepting a resignation under investigation. School system attorneys and the superintendent said that Florida law and Department of Education practice allow the department to flag an educator's certification when a resignation occurs before an investigation concludes; accepting the resignation does not necessarily prevent the Department of Education or other state offices from opening or continuing their own inquiries.

"The procedure the superintendent has outlined is exactly in compliance with chapter 1012796 of the Florida Statutes," the board's legal counsel said, adding that a resignation submitted while an investigation is active can be reported to the state and treated for certification purposes the same as a termination.

Board discussion was lengthy and divided. Several board members said they were disturbed by details revealed in public comment and wanted a stronger personnel action; others said accepting the resignation was the quickest way to ensure the employee was no longer in the district and to preserve the district's ability to flag the educator's file with the Florida Department of Education and to avoid interfering with criminal or administrative investigations.

Board member Spray cast the lone vote against accepting the resignation and said she preferred to table action until the district's internal investigation concluded and the board had a fuller report. The motion to accept the resignation passed 4-1; the meeting record identifies Spray as the single no vote but does not record roll-call votes by name for the four affirmative votes.

Superintendent Weisong said the resignation arrived to district staff in time to be added to the posted agenda amendment and that Human Resources had already placed the employment file on a "do not rehire" status and would report the matter to the state's Office of Professional Practices. He and legal counsel described standard follow-up steps: completion of the internal Office of Professional Standards investigation, referral to a district discipline committee, and potential referral to the Florida Department of Education.

The board chair offered to meet with the parent outside the meeting to discuss next steps; several board members said the episode would prompt review of district procedures and training related to student safety and staff oversight.

The board did not take public questions during the action, and the district said it would not discuss details of an ongoing investigation. The meeting record shows public comment alleging that a teacher led an 11-year-old student into a classroom and spent approximately 45 minutes alone with her while other students were elsewhere; the parent said the incident had been reported to district staff on April 11.

The board's formal action accepted the superintendent's recommendation to record the resignation as "while under investigation," and staff said that practice triggers district reporting and state notification that can lead to certification consequences independent of the district's personnel process.

The board also said it expected to review policy and training changes prompted by the incident; a board member urged the administration to look at faster ways for staff and families to report and for the district to surface serious allegations more quickly.

The board recorded the motion and vote in open session; the superintendent noted the district would continue internal and external investigations and that the district's Office of Professional Standards would complete its report and forward findings as required by statute and Department of Education procedures.

Ending: The board's action removes the employee from district service immediately through the resignation process the superintendent recommended; the district said the personnel file will be flagged and that state authorities may still pursue administrative or criminal steps. Several board members said they would pursue additional policy and training changes to strengthen student safety and reporting.