Manatee teacher accused of student misconduct resigns amid investigation
A Manatee County teacher resigned while under investigation amid allegations he wrote an inappropriate letter and spent unsupervised time with an 11-year-old student.
Jarrett Williams, who taught fifth grade at Gullett Elementary School in Lakewood Ranch, submitted his resignation as the district investigates allegations involving a female student, according to school officials.
The girl’s mother, Ann Mitchell, discussed the allegations during public comment at Tuesday’s Manatee County School Board meeting. Mitchell told board members Williams spent about 45 minutes alone with her daughter on Valentine’s Day while the rest of the class was at the library and later gave her a handwritten letter.
“In my hands, I have a copy of the two-page, handwritten ‘textbook grooming letter’ that was written by this teacher and given to my 11-year-old daughter,” Mitchell said.
“You know I truly love you and no matter what, that will never change,” part of the alleged letter said. “I really love being your teacher and more importantly, I love how close we have gotten this year.”
Mitchell said the letter also accused her daughter of lying to Williams and told her not to show it to anyone. Photos of the handwritten letter have circulated in social media posts.
Lakewood Ranch teacher accused of grooming
As of Friday afternoon, Williams is not facing criminal charges, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said. But an agency spokesperson confirmed that a criminal investigation is underway.
After the letter was reported to Gullett Elementary’s principal on March 9, district spokesperson Michael Barber said Williams was reassigned the next day to a non-instructional position with no student contact. Barber said the district also notified the Florida Department of Children and Families, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Education’s Office of Professional Practices.
Because law enforcement’s investigation took precedence, Barber said the district did not interview Williams until the sheriff’s office authorized it. During that April 23 interview Williams submitted his resignation, according to Barber.
The topic of Williams’ resignation was added to Tuesday’s school board agenda, and while it was approved, the vote was not unanimous as the board weighed whether to pursue termination or accept his resignation.
Accept resignation or terminate?
During the meeting, Superintendent Jason Wysong recommended the board accept Williams’ resignation. He told board members that cases under investigation are flagged the same as terminations and said the district avoids taking actions that could interfere with outside investigations.
“I’m not going to comment on the specific matter because there are open investigations, and it is a guiding principle here that the school district does nothing to interfere with external agency investigations, nothing that might compromise the integrity of an external investigation,” Wysong said.
School district General Counsel Kevin Pendley also said resignations allow the district to report cases to the state more quickly than a termination, which requires a lengthy due process hearing.
“You end up with the same result, either road you take to get there,” Pendley said.
Mitchell objected to the resignation and told the board Williams should have been fired instead, calling termination “the necessary and rightful response.”
The girl’s grandfather also addressed the board and said district leaders failed the family by approving the resignation without notifying them or giving them a chance to weigh in.
“Somebody dropped the ball, somebody failed my granddaughter,” David Knish said. “Protecting the children should have been the priority.”
The school board voted 4-1 to accept Williams’ resignation on Tuesday. School Board Member Cindy Spray cast the lone dissenting vote, arguing Williams should have been fired.
Mitchell said her daughter continues to struggle in the aftermath of the allegations.
“She has nightmares and wakes up having cried in her sleep,” Mitchell told the board. “This teacher stole a piece of her innocence.”
This story was originally published May 5, 2025 at 5:50 AM.
