JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax is hearing from the Duval County School Board chair after Action News Jax found board members knew about an investigation involving its new pick for superintendent.
We previously told you about a whistleblower complaint involving Dr. Christopher Bernier. It came before he applied to DCPS and abruptly quit his job in Lee County.
Board Chair Darryl Willie told Action News Jax the board received a lot of emails during the interview process, including one that confirmed the investigation and questioned Bernier’s “mysterious departure.”
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Willie said the board was made aware of the investigation early in the interview process and considered it when making the final decision to hire Bernier. According to Willie, Bernier offered up the information.
“We knew about what was going on,” Willie said.
Willie also reaffirmed the board’s confidence in their selection.
“We did our due diligence, we did our research and investigation background, talking to staff over there,” Willie said. “And then some of the emails that you’re mentioning, we talked to them, too. We’ve talked to a bunch of different people about it. And unfortunately, we’re in a very interesting time where sometimes things just aren’t as they seem.”
An email was sent to board members on April 29th -- weeks before Dr. Christopher Bernier was picked as DCPS’s next superintendent.
It includes an email from a Lee County School Board attorney attempting to answer questions about Dr. Bernier’s abrupt resignation from Lee Schools.
It says in part, “I understand you have questions about Dr. Bernier’s departure from the district. Unfortunately, I can’t give you any specific information because of an ongoing investigation.”
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Former Mayor of Atlantic Beach Ellen Glasser spoke at Tuesday’s school board meeting expressing her concerns about the district’s selection process. After learning about the email today, she told Action News Jax’s Annette Gutierrez over the phone that this raises more red flags.
“If in fact, the school board knew about this before they voted for him, I would hope they took it very seriously because the allegations are very serious,” Glasser said. “We don’t need to make a mistake in hiring a superintendent who’s got that kind of baggage.”
Yesterday, we told you about a post on Facebook appearing to show an anonymous email, which is now part of a complaint that was sent to Lee County School Board Members and the District’s Chief Operations Officer – Larry Stephens.
It says Dr. Bernier led a campaign “defaming work ethics and character” … and … “wished he could get rid of but because he’s black he did not want to be called a racist.”
The complaint regarding Dr. Bernier was filed April 4. He applied to DCPS April 6. He then suddenly quit his job as superintendent at Lee County Schools April 8. Eleven days later, Duval board members were sent an email about an ongoing investigation. Despite that, Dr. Bernier was selected as Duval School’s next leader.
Willie says after their research, he is confident they made the right decision.
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“I mean, based on what the information that we have it will we should, we’ll be fine,” Willie said. “And if something else comes out of that, then we’ll have to come together as a full board. And we’re ready to do that if that’s the case.”
Yesterday, a DCPS representative sent a statement to Action News Jax on behalf of Dr. Bernier, saying in part, “In Lee County, we improved student outcomes, and I left on good terms. I look forward to similar success...”
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