Details of defamation and racial bias surrounding alleged whistleblower's complaint against new DCPS superintendent. – Action News Jax

Lina PortmanJune 6, 2024

0 2 minutes read

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Racial bias, mistreatment and defamation are all detailed in a social media post that appears to be part of a whistleblower complaint against Duval County Public Schools' new superintendent.

At the Duval County School Board meeting Tuesday evening, people spoke both for and against Dr. Christopher Bernier. It was the first meeting since the board selected Dr. Bernier, the former Lee County schools superintendent, in late May.

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“I would like to thank the board for voting for the superintendent position. It made a lot of people happy,” Ed Williams said during public comment.

“The last thing we need to do is hire a superintendent with the baggage. We have heard of ongoing litigation. Today we heard about a whistleblower complaint,” said Ellen Glasser, former mayor of Atlantic Beach.

Jacksonville Today reported that a Lee County Schools whistleblower complaint against Dr. Bernier was filed just two days before he applied to DCPS and suddenly left his job in Lee.

A Facebook post appears to show an anonymous email, now believed to be part of the complaint, sent to Lee County School Board members and the district's chief operations officer, Larry Stephens.

According to the email, Stephens disagreed with Dr. Bernier on “…how to manage transportation.”

It states that Dr. Bernier led a campaign “vilifying (Stephens') work ethic and character (and he) wished he could get rid of (Stephens), but because he is black, he did not want to be called racist.

The email goes on to say “Dr. Bernier called (his deputy superintendent) his asshole.” and referred to her as an obedient dog.

RELATED: Dr. Christopher Bernier offers $350,000 contract, negotiations with DCPS continue

A follow-up post on the same Facebook page appears to show an email from the district attorney posting, asking them to remove the “leaked” email because it is part of a whistleblower complaint.

“It’s not just questions and red flags at this point, but ringing alarms,” said Chris Guerrieri, a veteran DCPS teacher.

Action News Jax asked DCPS about the position, and in response, a representative sent a statement on behalf of Dr. Bernier that said: “The position of the superintendent in Lee County changed when the community voted for a superintendent elected. I respected this decision and chose not to run for office. This spring, I actively participated in the processes to secure an appointed superintendent position. In Lee County, we improved student achievement and I left on good terms. I look forward to similar success as superintendent of Duval County Public Schools.

Action News Jax has not independently verified the post, but a Lee County Schools representative said he was aware of the post and had no comment. We requested that the whistleblowers file charges, but the district said they were “…exempt from any disclosure and only made public once the investigation is complete.”

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