The former principal of Baldwin Middle-Senior High School was arrested June 29 on a charge of failing to report child abuse, Duval County Public Schools officials said.
Michael Townsend’s third-degree felony arrest happened less than six weeks after Baldwin teacher James Mulvey was charged with seeking a romantic relationship with a student, but it’s not known whether the two cases are related. If convicted, Townsend’s maximum possible sentence would be five years behind bars.
Townsend had been reassigned earlier in June “due to an internal personnel investigation,” a school district spokeswoman said by email.
Regional Superintendent Tim Simmons alerted families about Townsend’s arrest by afternoon.
“While news like this is difficult to share, especially when it involves a former school leader, it is important that we remain transparent with our school communities,” said a message from Simmons that officials later shared with reporters. “Please know the safety of our students and staff is always our top priority.”
Jail records said Towsend, 48, was booked at 2:37 p.m. and remained there a few hours later, held on $10,003 bond.
Although Simmons’ message referred to Townsend as a “former school leader,” the school’s website still carries a message from Townsend on the principal’s page.
“I have been working with students for a long time…over twenty years now,” the page says. “Every principal is different, but I do want to make sure that you know my heart for our school family. … My career has been built on bringing in real-world experiences, full scholarships, job shadowing, apprenticeships, etc. I want the best for our students.”
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Weeks after Baldwin teacher arrest, school’s principal jailed too
Reporting by Steve Patterson, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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By Steve Patterson, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
