School Police Officer Arrested For Sexual Contact With A Minor
School safety officer Shaun Golphin allegedly touched a 14-year-old sexually in his home while his family and the girl's mother were staying over.
Those who work in many authoritative positions have the utmost duty of protecting the vulnerable. This is especially true for those serving children. Parents and students alike should feel safe with the teachers, school support staff, and school safety officers that are tasked with watching over their children day in and day out during the school year. But in what appears to be a growing trend, more of them are caught acting inappropriately. More than 181 educators have been charged with sex crimes this year alone, and a school safety officer in Florida is now added to that list.
On Tuesday, September 6th, school safety officer Shaun Lorenzo Golphin was arrested on multiple charges for accusations that he inappropriately touched a minor child. As the investigation remains active, it is unknown whether or not the 14-year-old girl who made these allegations attended the same school the police officer worked in. For now, Golphin appears to remain in jail, as he waits for arraignment later this month.
According to police reports obtained by The Florida Times-Union, the girl accusing the school safety officer of inappropriate touching was staying at the 42-year-old’s house with his wife and children, along with her own mother, over the Labor Day weekend. It was within the home that the 42-year-old is accused of the lewd acts. The young girl told her mother what had happened, and the parent took her daughter to a Rape Crisis Center, where police were then involved.
Golphin was taken into custody and held at the Duval County jail on one felony count of lewd and lascivious battery, encouraging or enticing a person under the age of 16 to engage in sexual activity, one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a child, and one misdemeanor count of battery. As of Wednesday, the school safety officer remained in jail. His bail was set at $35,000.
Since being charged, the school safety officer resigned from his position as a school police officer. Golphin has been employed by the Duval County School Police Department and working inside schools since 2011. Most recently, he worked at Fletcher High School in Neptune Beach, Florida, where he has served children since 2017. Since leaving his post, his badge and firearm were recovered by the police chief.
Community members reacted to the school safety officer’s arrest and charges with both shock and horror. News4JAX interviewed Golphin’s neighbor and friend, who alluded that they could not believe the allegations against him. “We’ll let it play out. I can’t see Shaun doing anything like that,” he said. But parents that have children attending the high school Golphin worked for understood all too well how often these allegations prove to be true. “As a parent, it concerns me,” said one mother.
So why is it that more school staffers like this school safety officer are acting out in inappropriate manners against children? There is no clear-cut answer, but still, it shines a light on a growing concern for many parents. It even might just be one of the many factors that lead families to opt for homeschooling more and more. Either way, it is happening all across the nation, and more families are crying out for more responsibility and transparency for their children in public schools.
