CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said a Jacksonville first grade teacher was arrested Thursday for attempting to buy methamphetamine while she was at school.
CCSO said Valerie Lee Prince contacted an undercover narcotics officer and tried to set up a deal to buy an “eight ball” of methamphetamine while she was at Jacksonville Heights Elementary School where she teaches first grade.
“I feel bad for her family, but angry for mine because you’re supposed to be able to trust your child’s teacher,” said Brandy Frazier, who’s child was in Prince’s class.
Frazier was in disbelief when she saw her daughter’s teacher on the news for being arrested in an undercover meth sting.
“They looked up to her, and I know for my daughter it’s devastating,” explains Frazier.
“The situation is disturbing," Lieutenant of Narcotics Domenic Paniccia said. “This is someone that was in charge of kids, first grade kids, and it’s something that was a priority to us.”
Prince talked to undercover officers and confidential informants with CCSO in an attempt to set up the deal.
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She requested that the meth was delivered to her at the school, according to Sgt. Vincent Hall.
“We did not deliver the drugs to that school, but that brought us great concern,” Hall said. “It was a pretty nonchalant request and the indication was that it was no big deal to the suspect.”
Police instead waited for Prince to get off work at the school and meet up with her to sell her 3.5 grams of methamphetamine. After the sale, they arrested her.
After listening to a recorded portion of Prince’s conversation with an undercover informant, Frazier said, “There is no doubt of what her intention was and the fact that she was willing to make a drug deal on school grounds.”
Prince later admitted to using meth 10 times within the last six months.
CCSO worked with the Duval County Public School System during the investigation and officials with the school system accompanied deputies during Prince’s arrest. Her credentials were revoked, according to CCSO.
“My concern is: Was she doing it while she was teaching my child?” Frazier said.
“I cannot say she was positively using drugs at that school. I can say that during phone calls, her intentions were,” Lt. Paniccia said.
Paniccia said Prince told an informant when her class started and that she would be willing to say she had an emergency phone call in order to leave the school grounds and use meth. She said she would have returned to school with the intent for the drug dealers to deliver the meth to her boyfriend.
“I was going to say, I could go out and meet you but I can’t- I would just have to go out and run back in,” Prince said to an undercover informant on a recording released by CCSO. “Just call me when you’re- because, you know, I work on 103rd, you call me and I can just say I have to use the phone real quick. I can step out and come right back in. Or just come at 11 on my lunch break. But I would prefer it before then.”
“What was the name of your school again?” the informant asked Prince.
“It’s Jacksonville Heights Elementary, it’s on 103rd. Now I don’t get my kids until 8:30, so I’m in my room by myself from 8 to 8:30,” Prince said.
Prince was charged with possession of methamphetamine.
The Duval County Public School System released a statement Friday evening regarding Prince’s arrest:
"We’ve become aware that one of our teachers, Valerie Lee Prince, was recently arrested by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
Prince has been a teacher at Jacksonville Heights Elementary School since the 2018-19 school year. She has not taught at any other school in the district.
The school district’s office of professional standards will conduct an independent investigation. During the course of the investigation, Prince will be removed from the school. If she is able to return to work, she will be assigned to duties that have no contact with children.
It is always disappointing and disturbing whenever an educator is implicated in this type of activity. As a district, we have very high standards for teachers and all employees, and every day thousands of teachers are going beyond the call of duty to serve children and families. The alleged behavior falls well short of our standards. We will conduct our investigation, and take action as appropriate based on the conclusion of that investigation."
Now, Frazier’s concern is how the class will continue after losing their teacher.
“They’re going to have to get acclimated to a new teacher and a new way of doing things," she said. "We’re almost at the end of the school year and you don’t know how that’s going to affect the children. Is it going to disrupt their learning?”
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