DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. – The Duval County School Board is facing intense scrutiny following the decision to suspend Jacksonville City Councilwoman Tyrona Clark-Murray from her teaching position for 10 days without pay. During Tuesday’s board meeting, Vice Chair April Carney broke the board’s typical silence on personnel matters to clarify the district’s employee disciplinary process.
The move comes as the district grapples with a high volume of complex human resources cases. Addressing her colleagues and the public, Carney described the recent slate of disciplinary actions as among the most significant the board has reviewed in recent memory.
“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. “I wanted to make sure that the public, this board, and future boards understand our process and how we come to determinations.”
The suspension of Clark-Murray, an educator at Alfred DuPont Middle School, stems from an internal investigation into allegations of inappropriate physical contact. While the district has remained tight-lipped regarding the specific details of the investigation, the Councilwoman was reassigned away from students in May pending the outcome.
Carney used the opportunity to praise the district’s Professional Standards Department, acknowledging the taxing nature of their investigative work. She emphasized that the board’s primary role is to serve as a fair and impartial arbiter once an investigation reaches their desk, strictly adhering to Florida law.
However, that claim of impartiality has been directly challenged by the Councilwoman. In a written statement, Clark-Murray alleged that Carney’s public comments on the social media platform X, made before the investigation had concluded, demonstrated clear bias. Clark-Murray confirmed she formally requested that the Vice Chair recuse herself from the suspension vote—a request that was clearly not honored.
Defending her 33-year career, which includes “Highly Effective” performance ratings for the last two school years, Clark-Murray characterized the board’s decision as an anomaly. She argued that the district failed to follow its own progressive discipline policy and noted that similar cases have been overturned in court.
Carney reminded the public that the board’s vote is not necessarily the final word. “All of our employees are entitled to an appeal process,” she explained, noting that cases can be taken to the Department of Administrative Hearings and potentially return to the board for a second vote.
Clark-Murray has already confirmed her intent to pursue that appeal.
As the legal and administrative battle continues, Carney insisted that transparency regarding the disciplinary process is vital, especially given the ongoing public concern surrounding student safety. For now, the Councilwoman remains suspended, and the district’s Professional Standards Department continues to face pressure to balance rigorous enforcement with due process.
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