BALDWIN, Fla. — Some Baldwin Middle-Senior High School parents say they’re outraged after learning the new principal has had several misconduct complaints in the past decade.
Michael Smith was appointed after the school’s former principal was arrested for failing to report possible teacher sexual misconduct.
But Smith’s Duval County School personnel file shows he was the subject of at least three separate investigations himself. Two were deemed unsubstantiated.
“These are things that were in his personnel file that we should have been made aware of going into this,” said Michelle Petty, the Baldwin High School Advisory Council Chair.
Action News Jax obtained Smith’s personnel file from Baldwin’s Advisory Council. We also asked DCPS for the file, but they didn’t provide it in time for this report.
Smith received his first complaint in 2016 after he FaceTimed a friend with a female student to show him how similar she looked to that friend’s wife.
The claim ended in a verbal warning.
Six years later, a coach reported that Smith often hugged another female student and called her “sweetheart,” even disrupting team practice just to “check on her.”
That claim was found to be unsubstantiated.
Then, in 2024, a parent reported that Smith was acting inappropriately with her daughter, claiming he was stroking her hair, standing too close to her and covering her eyes, saying “guess who.”
That claim was also found to be unsubstantiated, but it was reported to DCPS police. Smith was appointed to a different school shortly after.
Petty, who also has a daughter in 11th grade attending the school, said this kind of conduct is concerning.
“This is why so many parents are choosing other alternatives for their children because they cannot trust our school system,” Petty said.
Another parent echoed these concerns.
“Everyone who has a daughter has said we’ve got to get him out of the seat,” said Kristen Nesmith, who has a teenage son and daughter attending the school.
We reached out directly to Smith about the parents’ concerns, but did not hear back.
We also reached out to DCPS, which sent us the following statement:
Regarding current Baldwin Principal Dr. Michael Smith, our research indicates the hiring manager completed appropriate due diligence, including reviewing his background check, references, and personnel file. This included a review of three allegations between 2016 and 2024 that were investigated. Of those three investigations, one from 2016 was substantiated. Discipline was issued for the substantiated 2016 incident in accordance with the district’s progressive discipline plan. The remaining two were unsubstantiated. Note that video evidence reviewed during the 2024 investigation confirmed that finding.
We fully understand the concerns raised by the Baldwin school community, and believe it is important to distinguish these allegations involving Principal Smith from the circumstances involving the former Baldwin Principal’s removal and arrest. The latter incident included a violation of Florida’s mandatory reporter law, which can never be tolerated. An investigation resulting in an unsubstantiated allegation is materially different from a statutory violation related to a failure to report.
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