Tracy Smith pictured in a Broward County Sheriff’s Office mugshot (bottom left), Xceed Preparatory Academy (Local 10/screengrab)
A Florida woman who allegedly solicited from or engaged in sexual conduct with a student while serving as a private school principal is out of a job and facing a felony case.
Tracy Smith, listed in court records as a 43-year-old Boynton Beach resident, was arrested in Xceed Preparatory Academy’s parking lot in Coral Springs on Monday and fired from her job immediately after, the school’s lawyer said, according to CBS News Miami.
“The allegations resulting in Ms. Smith’s arrest yesterday came as a complete shock to everyone at the school. The school and its staff will cooperate with law enforcement in every way possible. A safe learning environment is paramount at XCEED – with no exceptions,” attorney Brian Bieber was quoted saying in a statement issued on behalf of the school.
On the school’s website, Xceed Preparatory Academy, a private institution for grades 6 through 12, touts its “heritage of excellence in education” in a “safe, supportive, innovative environment,” aimed at providing “personalization, online curriculum, flexible schedules and attentive in-person academic staff preparing students for college and beyond.”
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It’s alleged that Smith stepped in to help the student in October and developed a rapport with him, to the point that the student viewed her as a mother figure. The unidentified student allegedly told authorities that the head educator’s touching of him was initially viewed in a positive and comforting light, but that this changed. Smith’s contact with the student during studies “crossed the line” from encouraging to criminal, according to NBC Miami, which reported on the alleged details in the Coral Springs arrest report:
The student said Smith began touching his leg with her leg, which progressed to her touching his leg with her hand and him running his hand up and down her leg, the report said.
He told investigators he started to feel their relationship “crossed the line,” the report said.
He said they started communicating through iMessage and SnapChat and that it included some “intimate talk” but Smith later asked him to delete the messages, the report said.
The male student allegedly told investigators that Smith sent him clothed pictures of herself after he sent a shirtless photo. The student allegedly also told authorities that Smith made a remark about oral sex.
A since-removed bio for Smith on the school’s website said that she has been working in education as “an administrator, academic coach, instructor and program manager in both public and private schools and industry organizations” over the past two decades. She highlighted her “positive and holistic approach of education.”
Smith also said that she was “twice nominated for Teacher of the Year for her work with students in integrated classrooms” when she worked “as an elementary and middle school teacher in traditional school settings.”
The veteran educator, a wife and mother of 3, also had a public-facing presence with her family as the President of the Board of Directors of Smith Smiles Toy Donations, which she described as a “family-run nonprofit that serves children in hospitals around the world.”
Smith posted a $25,000 bond after being booked into the Broward County Jail on Monday morning, jail records say. She was released from custody on Tuesday not long after noon.
Florida law specifically criminalizes offenses against students by people in positions of authority. Soliciting or engaging in sexual conduct by such an authority figure is a second-degree felony.
It’s unclear at this time if Smith has an attorney in this matter.
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