DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. – The Vice Chair of the Duval County Public School Board explained the district’s employee discipline process, after the board voted to suspend Jacksonville City Councilwoman Tyrona Clark-Murray from her teaching position for 10 days without pay.
Board Vice Chair April Carney addressed the public during Tuesday’s school board meeting, saying the volume and significance of the discipline cases before the board made it important to explain how the process works.
“I pulled this for consent with comments because I believe that this is the most human resources employee discipline that we’ve experienced in quite some time,” Carney said, “and I wanted to make sure that the public, this board and future boards understand our process and how we come to determinations.”
[RELATED: Jacksonville councilwoman to appeal 10-day unpaid suspension from DCPS teaching job]
Recognizing Professional Standards staff
Carney took a moment to praise the district’s Professional Standards Department, acknowledging the difficulty of conducting workplace investigations.
“I know that our Professional Standards Department has gone through some changes, and I appreciate the changes that have been made,” she said. “I know that those investigations that are done by our staff are taxing and they’re hard work and I appreciate all that they do.”
Due process, impartiality
Carney was direct about the board’s obligations once an investigation is complete, emphasizing that employees are entitled to due process and that board members must remain fair and impartial.
“Anyone that has brought before professional standards they are afforded due process, and it is our job as board members after the investigation is complete to be fair and impartial when making our decisions as applied by Florida law,” Carney said.
That statement comes as Clark-Murray alleged in a written statement that Carney’s comments on X, posted before the investigation concluded, demonstrated bias.
Clark-Murray said she requested Carney recuse herself from the suspension vote.
The appeals process
Carney also made clear that the board’s vote is not necessarily the final word, outlining the appeal rights available to any disciplined employee.
“All of our employees are entitled to an appeal process, and that would go to the Department of Administrative Hearings, and then that could potentially come back to the board again to be voted on,” Carney said.
Clark-Murray has since confirmed she plans to do exactly that.
Carney said the level of public concern around student safety and discipline made it essential to walk through the process openly.
“I just felt it necessary that given the amount and a lot we’ve heard from the public about student safety and discipline that we talk about how our process works,” she said.
Background
The suspension stems from a DCPS human resources investigation into alleged inappropriate physical contact involving Clark-Murray, who teaches at Alfred DuPont Middle School.
In May, the district confirmed Clark-Murray had been removed from classroom duties and temporarily reassigned to a role with no student contact while the investigation continued. DCPS has not publicly detailed the specific incident and said it would not provide further information during the active investigation.
In a statement, Clark-Murray said the board’s decision was unusual given her 33 years of service, her claim of no prior disciplinary history and “Highly Effective” performance ratings in both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. She argued the district bypassed required steps in its progressive discipline policy and that similar cases have been overturned in court.
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