Former Manatee superintendent under fire for not disclosing teacher misconduct — again

Manatee County’s previous superintendent, Diana Greene, will step down from her job leading Duval County Public Schools after her office failed to disclose 50 instances of teacher misconduct, according to state officials.

Greene, who led the School District of Manatee County from 2015-18, has made a similar mistake before, according to then-Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran. He previously accused Greene of delayed reporting in a scandal involving a teacher who had been accused three times of having inappropriate contact with students.

Quentin Peterson, who worked as a music teacher, was first removed from the Lincoln Middle School campus in May 2017, according to court documents. In July 2021, a jury said Peterson was not guilty on the first count of child porn possession, but a mistrial was declared on the second count.

The criminal case is still pending in court.

“The superintendent at that time, Diana Greene, did not report the allegations to the Florida Department of Education’s Office of Professional Practices Services until September 2017,” Corcoran wrote in a June 30, 2020 letter to Manatee Superintendent Cynthia Saunders.

At the time, Corcoran said the Florida Department of Education would not issue punishment against the School District of Manatee or Greene, but he said he was worried about Greene’s judgment in the case.

State says Greene delayed reporting Lincoln scandal

“...I have grave concerns that delays in reporting similar allegations can result in our students being unnecessarily put in danger of victimization at the hands of predators such as Peterson,” wrote Corcoran, who now serves as the interim president of New College in Sarasota. “Future delays in reporting educator misconduct will not be tolerated by this office.”

According to a timeline included in a federal lawsuit that was dismissed in December, Peterson resigned in April 2017 while under investigation for a second allegation of inappropriate contact with a minor. Eddie Hundley, Lincoln’s principal, then reached out to Greene asking permission to allow Peterson to retract his resignation, court records show.

In return, Greene ordered Hundley to issue a letter of reprimand against Peterson on May 4, 2017, because he “had exercised poor judgment,” according to investigators. In her letter, Greene wrote she felt “that something was still not right,” regarding Peterson’s contact with students.

Following a third accusation, Peterson was removed from the school three weeks later on May 24, 2017.

It’s unclear why Peterson’s situation was not reported to state officials until September 2017, which is when he officially resigned from the School District of Manatee County.

Greene set to resign over similar Duval scandal

Greene recently agreed to leave her job as Duval superintendent after the Florida Department of Education accused Duval Schools of not reporting 50 cases in a timely manner.

Corcoran’s letter noted that “legally sufficient complaints” must be reported to the state within 30 days. The cases date back to 2020, News4JAX reported.

According to First Coast News, the revelation followed the arrest of a Jacksonville-area teacher who is accused of kissing a student.

In a statement provided to Action News Jax, Greene said she was “surprised and angered” to learn about Duval’s delays in reporting misconduct, noting that a January 2023 audit did not mention the topic.

“...Until receiving the commissioner’s letter, I had no indication that we were out of compliance with any file,” Greene said. “I agree completely with the commissioner that delays in reporting cannot be tolerated.”

In 2021, the Florida Association of District School Superintendents named Greene Superintendent of the Year.

Future of Manatee district

Saunders will retire from her five-year post as superintendent soon. Last year, she announced plans to step down at the end of her contract on June 30.

On Tuesday, the Manatee School Board selected Jason Wysong from Seminole County Public Schools to become their next superintendent.

The ongoing scandal in Duval County soured the board’s interest in hiring Scott Schneider, one of three finalists under consideration. Schneider is a deputy superintendent under Greene in Duval Schools.

“The concern with Mr. Schneider is what’s going on in Duval County. There’s no ifs, and or buts about it,” said Chad Choate, chairman of the Manatee School Board. “The cloud is, of course, Duval.”

Another school board member said she spoke with state officials at the Department of Education and has been told that there could still be fallout from the scandal in Duval.

“Let whatever’s playing out in Duval play out. Is it over? I have indication that it might not be,” said School Board Member Cindy Spray.

Greene is set to step down June 2 and officially retire July 24, WJCT reports.