Stanton College Preparatory School Addresses Employee Misconduct Allegations

Stanton College Preparatory School, Duval County's top-ranked high school, is currently grappling with multiple investigations involving its employees. These incidents have prompted swift action from the Duval County Public School system, including reassignments and ongoing internal investigations. The school district has confirmed that while the cases involve employees from the same school, they are not connected.

Arrest of Assistant Principal Sonya Rahming

Sonya Elizabeth Rahming, the assistant principal of Stanton College Preparatory Academy, was arrested Thursday on a charge of aggravated battery on a pregnant woman in an incident in which her daughter was also arrested for domestic battery. According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrest report, Julia Gaiter flagged down a police officer Wednesday evening and said she was being attacked by her mother, Sonya Rahming, Stanton’s assistant principal. According to the report, Rahming was arguing with her daughter, who she wanted to move out, and this dispute became physical. While the officer saw no signs of injury, both were arrested and bonded out of jail hours later.

Rahming began her career with Duval County Public Schools as a math teacher at Forrest (now Westside) High School in August 2006. She became an assistant principal in 2007 at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and moved to Stanton in 2009. According to Duval County Public School, Rahming began with the district as a math teacher at Forrest (now Westside) High School in August 2006. She became an assistant principal in 2007 at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and moved to Stanton in 2009.

Investigation into IB Coordinator Benjamin Nasrallah

In a separate incident, Benjamin P. Nasrallah, the school's International Baccalaureate (IB) coordinator, is under investigation following accusations of inappropriate conduct with a student. He was reassigned from his school duties Wednesday pending an internal investigation by both the Duval County School Police and the district’s office of professional standards. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Children and Families have also been notified.

Nasrallah started as a school counselor at Stanton in August 2016 and became IB coordinator in July 2017. According to Duval Schools, Nasrallah, 30, was reassigned on Tuesday.

Reassignment and Investigation Protocols

Both Rahming and Nasrallah have been reassigned to roles with no student contact while the district completes its investigations. This measure is in line with Duval County Public Schools' policy to ensure student safety and maintain a professional environment during investigations.

Resignation of Band Director Brian Damron

These incidents come on the heels of another employee-related issue at Stanton College Preparatory School. Brian Damron, the school’s band director, resigned this month after district officials said he made inappropriate comments to students, including making sexual advances toward a student and urging that student to erase social media messages for their protection, district records show.

Brian Damron worked at Stanton, Duval’s top-ranked high school, since August 2015. He denied the allegations through an attorney Tuesday. She said he has not been not charged with a crime. He resigned Nov. 1. District investigators said Damron showed “extremely poor judgment” using abusive, sexual and inappropriate language with or in front of students. Twice he was reprimanded in October 2015 for allegedly verbally abusing band students, calling them names, making improper comments and sexual innuendo. He also was accused of sticking up his middle finger at a student. At the time, Principal Nongongoma Majova-Seane met with members of the band booster club and wrote a letter of reprimand for Damron’s personnel file.

According to an investigation, Damron had been hugging a male student daily. The boy told investigators that one September afternoon, when band practice was cancelled due to Hurricane Hermine, Damron asked him into his office after school. Damron gave him two “very friendly hugs” which lasted several seconds and squeezed the back of his neck. Damron also allegedly asked the boy if he would miss him over the weekend. The following week, during an after-school band practice, Damron told the boy to try on new uniform pants in front of him. The boy said Damron said “we are going to get naked” or “let’s get naked” in earshot of other students. Another male student confirmed he heard that. When Damron and the boy were alone, Damron ran his hand along the inseam of the pants the student tried on nearing the boy’s crotch. Damron commented on the pants fit and the boy’s penis size.

On separate occasions Damron showed the boy and another student photos of two students in a different school’s band uniform. The students said Damron said he had had relationships with those young men, although it wasn’t clear whether they were students at the time or former students. Two adults who also work with the band said that during an off-campus, informal meeting, Damron said he had had a relationship with a former student who had graduated and come back to be “band tech” at a prior high school.

Belkis Plata, Damron’s lawyer, said in an interview Tuesday that her client, in general, denies the boys’ and the district’s allegations, which she said would not hold up in criminal court. “He (Damron) simply maintains his innocence and he advises that these are false allegations,” Plata said. “(The district’s) standard for a preponderance of evidence is a lot lower than in a criminal court.”

Damron’s personnel file indicates the district did background research before hiring him. He worked at James Hubert Blake High in Rockville, Md., from 2002 until June, 2012, and at Dominion High in Sterling, Va., fall 2012 until winter 2014, when he left for personal reasons. His file includes several letters of recommendation from former principals and supervisors.

School Administration's Response

“Stanton, as you know, has the highest expectations and standards for our students,” Principal Nongongoma Majova-Seane said in a statement. “I am tremendously disappointed to learn of these allegations and events. We have the same high expectations and standards for our staff. I am tremendously disappointed to learn of these allegations and events.

Notably, Principal Nongongoma Majova-Seane was recently named as a winner of the 2018 Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership. Her school was also selected as a National Blue Ribbon School.

Broader Context: School Safety and Security Measures in Florida

These incidents at Stanton College Preparatory School occur within a broader context of increased scrutiny on school safety and security in Florida. The state has been actively addressing these concerns in the wake of tragedies such as the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Reassignments at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

Four administrators at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have been reassigned in connection with the school shooting Feb. 14 in which 17 people died and 17 others were wounded. Security specialist Kelvin Greenleaf and assistant principals Jeff Morford, Winfred Porter and Denise Reed are being reassigned to other, undisclosed Broward County School District administrative locations, according to district officials.

FBI Report on Parkland Shooting

A long-awaited FBI report to the panel investigating the shooting doesn't mention what the agency did after receiving tips about suspect Nikolas Cruz before the massacre. Instead, it focuses on improvements to its public hotline.

Legislative Focus on Education

Two longtime legislators with educational backgrounds and interests are appointed as leaders of the Florida Senate Education Policy Committee. Newly elected Sen. Manny Diaz, R-Hialeah, will chair the committee, and Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, will be the vice chair. Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, is named chair of the Senate subcommittee on education appropriations, with Diaz as the vice chair.

School Security and Choice

Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis visited a Jewish day school in Fort Lauderdale to promote school security and school choice, specifically the tax credit scholarship program that's used by 80 students at the Brauser Maimonides Academy. “For his first trip to be focused on visiting a Jewish day school, talking about security and expanding school choice says an enormous amount about what his priorities will be when he gets sworn in,” said Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay.

Opinions on Arming Teachers

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri once objected to arming teachers. After seeing the evidence while presiding over the state commission investigating the Parkland shooting, he's had a change of heart, and it could lead to teachers and other staffers who are willing to carry guns being permitted to do so. Some argue that lives probably could have been saved at Parkland had school personnel been carrying weapons. But others question whether one mass shooting means all Florida schools should allow qualified teachers to carry guns.

Challenges Facing Florida Schools

Beyond safety and security, Florida schools face other challenges, including:

Impact of Hurricane Michael on Bay County Schools

Bay County school officials say about 30 percent of their students have relocated since Hurricane Michael hit the area Oct. 10, and the number of homeless students has doubled. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos visited Bay County schools that were damaged by the hurricane. DeVos stopped at Cedar Grove Elementary School, which absorbed students from Springfield Elementary and is now nicknamed Cedarfield, and met with school and political leaders at Rutherford High School. Bay County school officials are considering having Rutherford High School house its students and Everitt Middle School students at the same time for the rest of the school year.

Increase in Homeless Students

The number of homeless students in Miami-Dade County has increased by 50 percent in the past two years, according to school district officials. At least 9,000 students are now considered homeless or "unstably housed," and the number could be as high as 15,000, they say.

Teacher Pay

Some argue that Florida's approach to paying teachers is "penny wise, pound foolish."

Other Developments in Florida Education

Specialized Programs: Teachers at three Florida Catholic schools have completed training in a program designed to help students with specific learning needs or diagnosed disabilities. The Program for Inclusive Education is available through the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education.
Sexual Health Education: Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida is starting a program in January with students teaching their peers about sexual health and healthy relationships.
School Busing Changes: Courtesy school busing for Leon County students who live within 2 miles of their schools is being eliminated for the 2019-2020 school year, according to school district officials.
New School Bus Compound: The Palm Beach County Commission approves plans for a new school bus compound near the Florida Turnpike in the western part of the county. Up to 300 school buses, fuel pumps, a maintenance garage and an administrative building will be placed on the 25-acre property.
Bus Radio Upgrades: The Lake County School Board approves spending $1.2 million to upgrade school bus radios that will allow drivers to communicate directly with schools.
Principal Arrested: A Duval County principal is arrested and charged with insurance fraud less than $20,000. State officials say Darrell Phillip Perry, 51, principal at Timucuan Elementary School, falsified $16,000 in repair bills after Hurricane Irma went through the area last year. He's been reassigned by the district pending an investigation.
Bus Monitor Struck: A Seminole County school bus monitor is in serious condition after being hit by a school bus in Winter Springs. The monitor was walking through the refueling area when she was hit. Police are investigating.
Student Enrichment: Scott White was once a struggling student in Lourdes Lopez's 5th-grade classroom at Miami Heights Elementary. Now he's her soon-to-be-adopted son.

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