JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Former employees of Icon Preparatory School in Jacksonville say they have been unable to file their 2025 federal income taxes because they have not received correct W-2 forms \u2014 and some say they have not received W-2s at all.<\/p>\n
The concerns are part of an I-TEAM investigation into the K-8 private school on West 13th Street, which receives state scholarship dollars through Florida\u2019s school voucher programs.<\/p>\n
Former teachers also described problems they say they saw while working at the school, including alleged mold in classrooms and ongoing bathroom issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot what they were delivering,\u201d former teacher says<\/p>\n
Charis Sims, who said she started as a language arts teacher at Icon Preparatory School in 2024, told the I-TEAM she initially believed the school\u2019s mission \u2014 which she described as modeled after high standards of historically Black colleges and universities.<\/p>\n
But Sims said she soon felt the school was not meeting those expectations.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor it to be a school that prides themselves on college preparatory values, I honestly do not feel like, at the end of the day, that it\u2019s what they were delivering,\u201d Sims said.<\/p>\n
Former kindergarten teacher says she reported mold concerns<\/p>\n
Tabri Chaplin, a former kindergarten teacher who said she started at the school in 2022, told News4JAX she was drawn in by what she saw online.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look up the videos, it looks like something really cool to be a part of,\u201d Chaplin said.<\/p>\n
Over time, Chaplin said, she noticed issues she believed were not being properly managed.<\/p>\n
Chaplin said there was mold in her classroom and that she repeatedly reported it to a supervisor. After she said she did not see action taken, Chaplin said she contacted the health department herself.<\/p>\n
Molds on the walls at Icon Preparatory School (WJXT)<\/p>\n
\u201cI had kids in the class with asthma. They\u2019re little kids; they\u2019re five-year-olds,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Photos show bathroom conditions; former staff describe portable toilets <\/p>\n
A former Icon employee, who did not want to be identified, provided News4JAX photos showing what appears to be excrement on the floor and walls of a bathroom.<\/p>\n
Chaplin said the school brought in portable toilets for students to use.<\/p>\n
Photos of what appears to be excrement on the floor and walls of a bathroom (WJXT)<\/p>\n
She also described an incident in which she said a student fell into a portable toilet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was actually an incident where a student fell into the porta potty and had human waste all over them,\u201d Chaplin said. \u201cAnd they got sent back to class in those clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n
W-2 problems: \u201cGrossly inaccurate,\u201d former employee says<\/p>\n
Several former employees told the I-TEAM they have not been able to file taxes because of problems with their W-2 forms.<\/p>\n
Under federal rules, employers are generally required to provide W-2 forms to employees by Jan. 31.<\/p>\n
Chaplin said the W-2 she received was inaccurate.<\/p>\n
Photo of W-2 (WJXT)<\/p>\n
According to documents shown to the I-Team, Chaplin said her W-2 reported $1,768 in wages \u2014 while she said she earned more than $47,000 at the school \u2014 a difference of more than $45,000.<\/p>\n
The IRS warns that filing late or failing to file can lead to interest or penalties, depending on the situation.<\/p>\n
School founder cites \u201cunforeseen delays\u201d during payroll transition<\/p>\n
News4JAX went to Icon Preparatory School in Jacksonville. The school also has a sister campus in Tampa.<\/p>\n
The founder, Dr. Dwayne Raiford, is based in Tampa and responded to the I-TEAM\u2019s questions by email.<\/p>\n
Regarding the W-2 delays, Raiford wrote that the school transitioned to \u201can external payroll provider,\u201d which he said, \u201cresulted in unforeseen delays.\u201d He added, \u201cWe apologize to our team members.\u201d<\/p>\n
On facility concerns, Raiford said the school \u201cprioritizes responsiveness\u201d and that issues are \u201ctypically resolved within 24 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Millions in vouchers, but little state oversight<\/p>\n
Icon Preparatory School is a tax-exempt organization.<\/p>\n
The I-TEAM obtained the most recent tax records available and found that, for the 2023-2024 tax year, Icon Prep reported receiving $2.7 million from Step Up For Students, the organization that administers state scholarship programs. Those scholarships allow families to use state dollars to help pay for private education.<\/p>\n
Even though public funds are used for some private school scholarships, Florida\u2019s Department of Education notes on its website that private schools are not regulated the same way public schools are.<\/p>\n
The state website states: \u201cPrivate elementary and secondary schools in Florida are not licensed, approved, accredited, or regulated by the Florida Department of Education.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Diana Greene, who served as superintendent of Duval County Public Schools for five years and has worked in education for decades, told News4Jax that private schools do not have the same accountability measures as public schools.<\/p>\n
\u201cPrivate schools do not have any of the accountability measures that are in place for public schools,\u201d Greene said.<\/p>\n
Greene said she supports families choosing the best school for their children but said any school must be managed with strong financial oversight.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was very important that you have a strong chief financial officer\u2026 a strong bookkeeper,\u201d Greene said. \u201cAnd if those positions aren\u2019t filled with people who have the expertise\u2026 that\u2019s when you start to have problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former teachers say they\u2019re still waiting; worry about students<\/p>\n
Chaplin and Sims told the I-Team they are still waiting for corrected tax documents and accountability.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s nobody to call. Our entire foundation is\u2026 self-governed, so it\u2019s not like we can call the Board of Education, DCPS, nothing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Sims said she hopes the focus stays on students.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s about our children,\u201d Sims said.<\/p>\n
Editor\u2019s note: This story is based on former employee interviews, documents shown to News4JAX, and emailed responses from the school\u2019s founder. <\/p>\n
We have requested additional records and will update this story as more information becomes available.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Former employees of Icon Preparatory School in Jacksonville say they have been unable to file…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":338907,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[28,116,118,117],"class_list":["post-338906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-florida","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/338906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=338906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/338906\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/338907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=338906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=338906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=338906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}