State Seeks to Have Hundley's Certificate Suspended

PALMETTO – The Florida Department of Education has recommended that Eddie Hundley, principal at Palmetto Memorial Academy, have his educator certificate revoked for two years after giving two teaching job recommendations for a former employee that was under investigation for having improper relations with students. Hundley also faces two years’ probation, a fine and a mandated course in ethics.

Hundley recommended Quentin Peterson, a former music teacher at PMA, for two positions in Sarasota County. Hundley, it was determined, knew that Peterson was under criminal investigation after being accused multiple times of attempting sexual misconduct with underage female students. Peterson was ultimately arrested last April on felony charges of possession of child pornography. His jury trial is scheduled for Sept. 3.

Peterson had a long history of accusations related to inappropriate actions with minors, dating back to 2012. On his application to Sarasota Schools, Peterson cited "family problems" as his reason for leaving Manatee. In his references, Hundley checked "no" on a box that asked whether he had any reason to believe Peterson should not work with children, prompting the Sarasota School District to later file a complaint with the Florida Department of Education.

Peterson's first incident occurred in 2012, when he was a 19-year-old student at the University of Florida. A 16-year-old girl accused him of touching her under her clothing while the two were alone in a sound booth at Palmetto High School, despite her objections. According to the police report, Peterson admitted to the accusations and apologized to the girl during a recorded phone call, then confirmed the accusations in interviews with police officers. Prosecutors, however, decided not to file the battery charge recommended by police.

Though the student in the journal incident told police she'd made the story up when questioned, a second Lincoln student accused Peterson of touching her thigh while they were alone in his office last school year. The girl left the room immediately and reported the incident. Manatee Schools placed Peterson on a temporary, non-classroom assignment in late May as the investigation continued.

Authorities then seized his laptop and two phones in June. On August 18, Manatee Schools placed Peterson on paid administrative leave after investigators found several nude photos of a different underage girl on his phone, along with text messages and a picture of the two kissing in bed. Peterson then resigned from the district and applied to work as a teacher in Sarasota later the same month.

Palmetto Police Chief Scott Tyler said that Hundley knew about the images and that his department was pushing for criminal charges. An email from the district's attorney to Hundley also notes the severity of the accusations and that police had enough probable cause to seize Peterson's electronics. Hundley made his first recommendation for a substitute position in Sarasota 10 days after Peterson’s official resignation from Manatee, followed by a second recommendation last February for the math teacher position at Booker.

The DOE's recommendation was made to Judge Lynne A. Quimby-Pennock, who presided over an administrative hearing between the DOE and Hundley last month. The judge will soon issue a ruling and if Hundley's certificate is revoked, Florida statutes would prevent him from remaining in his position at PMA, which was previously known as Lincoln Memorial Middle School before it was converted to a district charter school at the start of this school year.