JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — (The video above is from a previous report)
Ten months have passed since Duval County Public Schools cut ties with an English teacher who was accused of striking a student in the face.
Now, following a lie detector test and the review of the case, the state said it is dropping the child abuse charge against the teacher.
Caroline Lee was a long-time educator, who had just been named Teacher of the Year at Darnell Cookman Middle/High when a shocking police report dropped last October, alleging that Lee and a student at the school had an altercation, leaving the student with a bloody nose. From the start, Lee has denied the allegations.
"The Defendant has been consistent in her denial of the account," a disposition statement published last week by the State Attorney's Office said.
New and old reports consistently say that the incident was sparked by a conversation on Instagram. Lee said the student involved — who is a minor and was not named — wrote "threatening messages" about Lee, including a comment that the student wanted Lee to die, which she did not report to school administrators. In the original police report, Lee told the responding officer that despite the death threat, she was "not afraid" and "did not feel the need" to report the message to staff.
According to the State Attorney's Office, Lee brought the student to her classroom in an effort to turn the threats into a "teaching moment," explaining "the consequences of her words and the ramifications of posting threats." Lee said the student wore a mask during their discussion, which prevented her from seeing her nose and mouth.
But the student told police when she got in the classroom, Lee reached across the table and struck her several times, causing her nose to bleed.
The State Attorney's Office report documented Lee's stature, noting the student "is significantly taller than [Lee]. Given the relative size of the parties, it would have been extremely difficult for the [Lee] to have struck the [student] in the face."
The new report also noted that the student has a disciplinary record at school — but no criminal arrests — including "a fight which resulted in a five-day suspension."
Lee won't return to Darnell Cookman
Until these allegations came out, Lee had no previous disciplinary record. Now that the charges have been dropped, her name does not appear on the Florida Department of Education's discipline database. Though her teaching license is still good through 2025, there is a flag on it, citing an "Administrative Notice."
When the charges against Lee were first initiated, she was removed from the classroom and placed on leave pending the judicial process. According to the State Attorney's Office, Lee has agreed not to return to Darnell Cookman. But it's unclear if she will return to teaching at another school or school district.
Ultimately, the State Attorney's Office said, no one witnessed what took place in the classroom between Lee and the student. There is also no video footage of the incident, only the preceding moments, which the responding officer described as Lee "walking at an aggressive pace" to her classroom and later, the student leaving the classroom and holding her face before walking with "a low demeanor" to the guidance counselor's office, where they reported the incident.
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The report added that there was no "reasonable probability of conviction" if the case went to trial for a child abuse charge and that the detective on the case "had no objection to the case not proceeding to prosecution."
"Even though the Victim appeared with blood present, the pictures do not prove beyond a reasonable doubt the blood resulted from a strike," the report said, adding that Lee made the argument that the student might have reported the incident as a means to avoid a new disciplinary charge on her record for making the Instagram threats.
Lee took a polygraph test while being asked about the incident and it was determined her denial was truthful.
The Times-Union reached out to Lee for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Emily Bloch is a youth culture and education reporter for The Florida Times-Union. Follow her on Twitter or email her. Sign up for her newsletter.