Dionne Younce has been suspended from her position as a gym teacher at Nease High School in Florida. (Google+)
A Florida high school gym teacher has been fired after being accused of sending nude and other inappropriate photos to multiple students on the social media app Snapchat, officials say.
Dionne Younce, 28, was escorted out of Allen D. Nease High School in St. Johns County on January 20 after an investigation was launched into “possible sexual misconduct” involving students, the St. Augustine Record reports.
Younce was fired on February 9, Action News Jax reports.
Snapchat is a photo and video messaging phone app. She is also facing possible felony criminal charges.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Multiple Students Say Her Flirtatious Messages Turned to ‘Sexual Snapping’
According to police records obtained by the St. Augustine Record, Dionne Younce texted and direct-messaged at least three students on social media, including Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.
One of the students, a football player, told police “subtle flirtation” during phone calls became “sexual snapping,” where they would send nude photos to each other.
The student said while at a basketball game, he and another football player received the same Snapchat photo of Younce in only a bra, according to police records. He said there were rumors that he and the other student had sex with Younce, but he said that was not true.
2. She Is Being Investigated by the County Sheriff’s Special Victims Unit
(Twitter)
Younce is being investigated by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Special Victims Unit, the St. Augustine Record reports. She faces possible felony charges, including “lewd or lascivious act upon a child.”
Commander Chuck Mulligan told the newspaper an arrest has not been made, and detectives are still interviewing students. Mulligan said inappropriate communications with minors are considered crimes and a teacher can have a “custodial position” of authority over a student, which could bring other laws into play.
A police report lists two male victims, along with four other male names and the names of two assistant principals, according to the Record.
3. She Has Been a Gym Teacher at the School for Less Than a Year & Was Still on Probation
Younce is accused of sending nude and other inappropriate photos to multiple students, officials say. (Twitter)
Younce has been a gym teacher at Nease High School since the beginning of the school year and is still on probation, according to News4Jax. She was suspended with pay before she was fired on February 9.
According to a letter sent to Younce, the district suspended her for alleged misconduct in office. The human resources department is investigating and a decision about her employment will be made at the school board’s February 8 meeting.
“During this suspension you are not to be on any property of the St. Johns County School District unless directed to do so by the Human Resources Department or the school administration,” the letter, from Association Superintendent for Human Resources Catherine Hutchins, said. “You are not to discuss this suspension with any co-worker, parents or students.”
The letter was hand-delivered to Younce on January 20, when she was escorted from the high school.
4. She Was Also the Coach of the Girls Weightlifting Team at the School
(Pinterest)
According to the high school’s website, Younce was also the girls weightlifting coach at the high school.
One of the football players interviewed by police said Younce would sometimes call at night to talk about sports and “to be completely honest, (she) used to sometimes be, I think, under the influence (when she called),” News4Jax reports.
5. She Is From Louisiana & Previously Taught at a School There
(stpsb.org)
Younce, a Louisiana native, is a graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University.
She was previously a physical education teacher and girls volleyball coach at Fontainebleau Junior High School in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, according to the school’s website.
