Four months after the Riley Elementary Principal resigned after an improper relationship with a Riley Elementary administrator, Tallahassee Reports has learned that Leon County Schools is dealing with another improper relationship at an elementary school.
TR has learned that Gilchrist Elementary Principal David Solz was engaged in an improper relationship with a Gilchrist teacher he supervises.
TR has been told the relationship was uncovered by the teacher’s husband, who is also employed by the school district. There are conflicting reports about the specifics of the relationship and the timing of when school officials were notified.
The relationship has been acknowledged by a number of sources at Leon County Schools. Also, TR confirmed administrative officials, including Superintendent Rocky Hanna, were aware of the situation. However, TR could not confirm if a formal investigation was underway.
Mr. Solz has over twenty years in the field of education as an elementary school teacher, EDEP Director and Administrator. Mr. Solz was appointed Principal at Gilchrist Elementary on July 1, 2009.
TR will continue to investigate.
Gilchrist Principal Engaged in Improper Relationship with Teacher He Supervises added by Staff on
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Those of you in this thread that are defending Solz clearly have no personal knowledge or interaction with him. Solz and his (very close) side kick, XXXXXXXX, have waltzed around LCS for years participating in unethical behaviors. From extra marital affairs to downright inhuman treatment and actions towards their staff. Teacher 850 has it absolutely correct. These behaviors began with Pons and were supported by Pons. Finally, the actions of these corrupt individuals are coming to light. At very minimum, they need to be removed from ever having a position of authority over individuals. If you are one of the individuals that feel this is sensationalism, I can understand since you’ve not directly dealt with this individual. However, those of us that have, know that this is not sensationalism..it is a decade of wrong doing being brought to the public eye. The “inappropriate relationship” is just the tip of the iceberg.
First, the mess in this district didn’t start with Hanna, it began with Pons. Solz is a Pons clone and has been moved through the ranks quickly. He has no clue on how to be an effective administrator and thankfully Gilchrist functions and continues to be an A school due to the teachers, staff, PTO, and families at this school. Gilchrist has and will run just fine without Solz. Since Solz moved to Gilchrist, it has seen awesome tenured teachers leave for other schools to get away from him, to get away from his lack of leadership, to get away from his lack of effectiveness, and to get away from his sexual advances, etc.
Now, David Solz, I know you’re reading this… The staff and faculty is praying that you are removed from the school. You are no longer welcome. Please make it easy on our district admin and resign your position at Gilchrist. It’s the right decision for you to make, for a change!
Why would our district administration leave Solz at Gilchrist? Why would they place him at any school? There is an known lack of respect for him at Gilchrist by the majority of the staff.
It’s high time Gilchrist finds a true leader. David Solz is not a leader. He is not an effective administrator. Gilchrist has much higher standards and has fallen victim to mediocrity since he’s been allowed to run loose there. He lords over the staff like some kind of dictator. Many talented and bright individuals have moved on because of his lecherous behavior. Ask any aid if they have job security and they will tell you they cannot get tenure. Their jobs are up for grabs every two years. He has no idea what’s going on at the school. It’s ridiculous to see such an unethical jerk screwing up such a great school.
I have seen another school taken out by an incompetent administrator. We need a strong superintendent to clean up this district. All principals are on annual contract but because of fear of losing votes no superintendent has ever had the guts to clean house. Rocky especially can’t since he committed the same sins and walked away scott free. Amazing that he just keeps lying and messing up and the board does nothing but pay the district out of his screw-ups. This board needs to get a backbone and clean house. Time for some new board members. As Rocky referred to them as “his ladies” speaks volumes.
It’s high time Gilchrist finds a true leader. David Solz is not a leader. He is not an effective administrator. The school has fallen victim to mediocrity since he’s been allowed to run loose there. He lords over the staff like some kind of dictator. Just in the last year a dozen staff and administrators have jumped ship.
Ask any aid if they have job security and they will tell you they cannot get tenure. Their jobs are up for grabs every two years. He has no idea what’s going on at the school. It’s ridiculous to see such an unethical jerk screwing up such a great school.
As a former Gilchrist family I am extremely disappointed to hear that Gilchrist has fallen to classic LCS standards. Is there any way to find a school board, superintendent and district staff who are professional? This school board jumps when Rocky says jump and does not hold him to professional standards. This district has been going down since Rocky was elected. Isn’t there a way to stop him???? Some one please help save our schools.
Okay Gilchrist staff and faculty, I know you’re reading this story…You’ve been praying for a chance to get rid of this Principal for years, now is your chance! You were heartbroken when Hanna didn’t move him after his election, but now you have an even better chance… All of his wrongdoings, his unethical practices, his unprofessional issues, and his harassment (sexually and non) are coming out into the open for all to see besides the staff and faculty! The staff, faculty and children of Gilchrist deserve better than this man… You must speak up right now! You can provide anon information to Tallahassee Reports by using the “contact us” link below.
TR – if you have an alternate form of contacting you, please provide this information.
I remember once I was driving at the school and saw a male teacher talking to a female teacher. I was disgusted… pulled my kids out and never looked back. I also heard that a ream of paper went missing and it wasn’t reported. The school has been going downhill for years.
They were in an actual relationship and her job at Ft. Braden has nothing to do with the relationship. Get your facts straight instead of spreading rumors and hurting more people than need be.
I agree, all this article does is bad mouth good people while showing TRs ignorance. Any educated person can see that. Truth be told, what they did or didn’t do for that matter is nobody’s damn business. Quit acting like a bunch of children.
Sigh…anyone else think it is time to begin considering an “appointed” superintendent?
An appointed superintendent by the same school board that refuses to stand up to the elected superintendent who hurls insults at legislators, dates teachers he supervised, appoints 5 assistant superintendents to jobs paying $100,000 each without interviews; one of the appointments was to the person who “cleared” him of issues related to his abuse of authority dating a teacher then having her transfered, Hanna fabricated information to start a federal investigation which is a breach of professional ethics which the school has not turned him into FLDOE Office of Professional Practices….that school board being allowed to appoint someone?
One of the people involved in this mess is doing a lot of talking around. Thinking this is going to be happy ever after thing and talking badly about her husband, I guess to try and justify this web. What has happen here from what it looks like is two people made bad decisions, one has a position that he should know better and the other should have worked on getting her life right before letting this happen.
I would suggest if you are going to have this sort of relationship you don’t run around talking about it around Gilchrist and other venues. It is not something to portray as a happy ever after at this point. There are children involved on both sides, which is the saddest part of this whole mess and other people that may not think it as funny or as wonderful as you do. There is always means to an action, life is not about impressing others or being the center of attention always.
Another example of people not thinking things out. Like someone said lets pray for those teachers and staff at Gilchrist and all over our country!
You are a bully and clearly a miserable person. For you to post this is unacceptable. You say your sad for the children involved but yet you are trying to blast their business. Does this make you feel good about yourself? Have you slept better the last couple of nights?
Why does any of this matter to you? Do you know them? How do we know that any of this is true? Where are you getting these “facts” from? Get a life and stop bullying people. Focus on yourself and put god first.
Seems Mr. Solz crossed the line when inviting/taking the teacher (a married woman and mother of current Gilchrist students) on a school-funded, off-site conference. Leon County should not be funding his trysts.
There are risks in any romantic relationship between people in unequal positions, not to mention liability risks. Because of the potential for conflict of interest, exploitation, favoritism, and bias, these relationships may undermine the real integrity of the supervision and evaluations.
Such relationships may have adverse effects on the academic program or work moral, impairing the learning or working environment for others. Relationships in which one person is in a position to evaluate the work or influence the career of the other may provide grounds for complaints by other employees when that relationship gives undue access or advantage, restricts opportunities, or simply creates a perception of these problems.
From what I understand, its a pattern for Solz to hire them young with certain “attributes” and has made advances toward other teachers at the school. One such affair seemed to have led to his divorce a couple of years ago, and that teacher moved her family out of town. Another teacher left the school for another due to his unwanted advances, while other teachers have left due to his unproffesional behavior toward his staff.
His relationships and advances with and towared these teachers is highly unethical, salaciously unprofessional, and immature. Definately not what Leon County School District, especially Gilchrist Elementary Schools needs as an administrator or leader of our children.
The truth will prevail…just wait.
I have been reading these post and have heard about this couple for weeks on the street. Tallahassee is a big little town and people are connected. I feel bad at this point for those teachers/staff at Gilchrist, how can they respect this man now. He is like them suppose to set an example of good behavior for the entire school. I can only pray at this point they move him, out of a school at least for awhile. Another situation that should be held under control is, do not let a principle and a teacher go off to teacher conferences alone, especially with the rumor for months floating around, it could have added fuel to this flame.
I’m embarrassed TR published this. Extremely disappointed because you have done such good work in regards exposing City Hall, but this is just tabloid gossip.
You should not be embarrassed. We did our research on this issue and would have not have published if we did not think it was newsworthy. Officials at the School Board have already said that when all the facts are exposed with this situation new policies will have to be adopted. This relationship has impacted other teachers at the school and ultimately will reveal an abuse of the authority that is entrusted to principals.
Well stated. Mr. Hanna you have done the same things detailed in this article, “an abuse of the authority that is entrusted to principals.” Lead by example, step down as Superintendent. Prior to stepping down publicly state what was glossed over in the Hank Coxe report: you fabricated and distorted information to federal and state agencies, costing the school district $600,000 investigating issues that you fabricated. Why is the school board silent on these issues?
Newsworthy articles would include facts. This is a brief, uninformed article sensationalizing gossip to gain clicks.
You start off with the most general statement you could make, basically asking the reader to write their own story based on what they want “improper relationship” to mean.
You admit in the article, that the reality is, you have no idea what is going on with the situation, but instead of doing your due diligence and finding facts before publishing, you choose to run an article based on conjecture to attempt to be “the first” to report it.
It seems you simply value click bait over actual reporting. You could potentially destroy these people’s lives or careers without basis, because we all know, the truth doesn’t matter in the court of public opinion!
Facts from the article: “The relationship has been acknowledged by a number of sources at Leon County Schools. Also, TR confirmed administrative officials, including Superintendent Rocky Hanna, were aware of the situation.”
The key pieces of this article that are missing are:
1. What is the actual nature of this “relationship”?
2. Does the school board believe there is anything improper about it, or was that merely your assumption?
So, your FACTS from the article are – “some people” know “some things” about “some situation”, but regarding what any of those things are, or mean or if any of it should actually matter to anyone beyond those involved doesn’t matter?
As a parent I had a terrible experience with Mr. Solz and had to pay a lawyer to help us file a hardship claim to leave the school. Within the first month of our attendance,never having met him, he threatened me and my child and banned me from the school because I reported a privacy breach. I had email documentation which showed his actions, had the lawyer send a detailed letter to the Asst. Superintendent and the school board attorney and nothing was ever done about it even after I requested follow up several times. The School Board refused to investigate and completely ignored the whole thing. I feel bad for the teachers who were affected by him, but also please know that parents and students have been hurt too, the actions are not limited to sexual harassment. Unfortunately I doubt he will receive meaningful consequences, as the same asst. superintendent is still in charge of the school administrators.
Sexual harassment is newsworthy.
Extramarital affairs aren’t anyone’s business. This is sensationalism and tabloidism.
Does “Tallahassee Reports” ever report good news, or is your sole purpose to bring more negativity and tabloid reporting into social network world?
Thanks for your comment. This is newsworthy because it impacts the relationship of the leader of an elementary school and people he supervises. The “extramarital affair” was not a secret to those who look to Mr. Solz for leadership. I want our readers to know we had a discussion about newsworthiness before we published the article. We decided it was more than an extramarital affair and needed to be exposed. Again, thank you for your comment.
What everyone needs to remember is that Rocky Hanna admitted to having at least one sexual relationship with a teacher he supervised and evaluated at Leon High School, he admitted that during breaks he would meet the teacher in the parking lot and make out with her. This is disgusting that he is the Superintendent. When the teacher called off the relationship Mr Hanna had the teacher transferred and the teacher received a monetary settlement from the school system.
Recently an African-American principal was removed from education for something that was similar yet Mr Hanna had no repercussions for what he did. It appears that Mr Hanna has a double standard, one for himself, one for people that are not like him, and then he tries to hide things from the public. This is more about the leadership style and tone that Mr. Hanna has set for the district.
Rocky Hanna admitted to the school board attorney that he fabricated every detail in The Notebook and had no knowledge of any wrongdoing which cost the school district $600,000. The school board has yet to publicly admonish or sanction Mr .Hanna for what he did, he was able to date teachers when he was the principal and have them removed from a school while his actions remained unchecked.
As result of of Mr Hanna’s leadership and those of his five self-appointed non interviewed assistant superintendents that make over $100,000 each the school district graduation rates are down, school grades are down, improper activities are up.
Rocky keep standing on the steps of the legislature calling people names and acting like an immature person. You continue to set a low bar for our school system.
Title correction:
“Gilchrist Principal and Teacher Engaged in Improper Relationship”
I only bring this up because the way the title is worded provides the allusion that the mean old “guilty Man” principal used his superior position to force the sweet young “innocent Woman” teacher into the relationship. As far as we know at this time the teacher may have been the aggressor in the relationship. And they both equally broke policy/procedures.
And why would the husband choose to put that dirty laundry “all out there” in public if not for revenge and to shame his wife? The husband is not gonna “get paid” a big settlement from the School Board by doing this.
Judges will no longer take an affair into consideration when he/she awards the kids, the Camary, the house, ect…to the wife. Hubby’s still gonna be working 2 shifts and eating baloney to pay what the Judge orders with or without shaming wifey in public.
Word on the street is that this is not the first affair he has had with a teacher at Gilchrist. I’ve also been told teachers have left for other schools due to sexual harassment from him as well. TR should look further into this. I wonder if the superintendent will do something about this or just look the other way?
I can verify he has said and done a number of inappropriate things at Gilchrist. He has publicly commented on the physical appearance of his staff. There is also a rumor he helped secure employment for a very young lady he was involved with romantically.
That’s not just a rumor. The 21 year old he is/was dating (at the same time as the married teacher) conveniently got a job at Solz’s good friend school. The principal of that school is also a county commissioner. Oh the corruption.