Duval teacher's license suspended; accused of pulling chairs from under students

A local teacher won’t be in the classroom anytime soon after the state suspended her license.

The Florida Education Commission suspended the teaching license of Robin Welch Kennedy for one year.

Immediately after, she was terminated by Duval County Public Schools.

Kennedy is accused of pulling the chairs out from underneath her third-grade students. The alleged incidents happened when she taught at Neptune Beach Elementary School in 2013.

A final report from the state says that another teacher saw Kennedy tip a student out of his chair.

The teacher asked her if the student had fallen, and Kennedy responded, “With a little help.”

The report also states the teacher saw it happen again to another student on the same day.

It further says that students were transferred to other third-grade classes because of what happened.

In 2014, Action News Jax reported that Kennedy was suspended by DCPS for 15 days without pay but then was back in the classroom.

Even then, parents were upset because of her conduct inside and outside the classroom. Kennedy had been arrested for DUI and battery.

The district told Action News Jax she had been an employee since 2006.

Kennedy was also not working at Neptune Beach Elementary School when she was suspended, but at another school.

“I’m displeased that it took that long for her to actually get her license suspended,” said parent Roger Hurley.

During the state’s final hearing, the report says Kennedy denied ever doing anything intentionally that could injure a student.

When we knocked on her door to get her side, nobody answered.

Cox Media Group