A former Kathleen High School teacher is facing serious allegations after being accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with a student. Donald Mitchell, age 36, was arrested yesterday, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. WFLA reports that the former student, now 19, came forward with allegations of an inappropriate relationship spanning from October 2023, while she was still enrolled, to November, post-graduation.
Mitchell denied any sexual relationship prior to the student's graduation and admitted to frequent text messaging. He supposedly deleted many of the texts fearing his wife would discover them. Amongst the unearthed messages, one particularly questionable text, sent on Valentine's Day, had Mitchell stating, "I’m here to grow and groom you into what (I) know you’re capable of being!" as per a PCSO news release cited by WFLA.
Sheriff Grady Judd condemned Mitchell's actions in a statement to WFLA, criticizing the use of his authoritative position to exploit the trust of a student. "Using one’s position of authority and trust over a student is egregious. Students rely on teachers to be educators and mentors, and Mitchell abused this trust by turning the relationship between him and his student sexual. This type of behavior will not be tolerated," Judd said.
Fred Heid, the Superintendent of Polk County Public Schools, echoed Judd's sentiments and assured full cooperation with the investigation. "Mr. Mitchell had been placed on leave by PCPS when we were first informed of the allegations, and he has since submitted his resignation. These allegations describe abhorrent behavior that is unacceptable for anyone who works with students," Heid said in a statement obtained by WTSP. Mitchell has been charged with sexual offenses against a student by an authority figure. He was previously serving as a community outreach facilitator for Polk County Schools following his teaching tenure.
Further messages provided by the PCSO and reported by FOX 13 News suggest an emotional complexity to the relationship. Mitchell appears to have acknowledged the risk of his actions in a February 20 text, saying to the victim, "Please don’t play with me bruh you have my life damn near in your hands…im taking a huge risk." The investigation into the former teacher's conduct continues.
