<img src="https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&amp;c2=36750692&amp;cv=3.6.0&amp;cj=1"> Florida fifth-grade teacher allegedly writes 'love letter' to student
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Florida teacher Love Letter via WFLA

‘I truly love you’: Florida fifth-grade teacher Jarrett Williams allegedly writes bizarre ‘love letter’ to 11-year-old student

He apologized for getting "slime" all over her.

A former Florida fifth-grade teacher at B.D. Gullett Elementary School in Bradenton, Florida, resigned after allegedly penning a two-page handwritten love letter to an 11-year-old student. The letter, discovered by the girl’s mother, contained unsettling declarations such as “I truly love you” and urged the child to keep their correspondence a secret. 

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According to Florida news outlet he spent 45 minutes alone with the student while her classmates attended a library session. In the note, Williams apologized for making the student “upset” by covering her with “slime” and expressed his affection, stating, “I really love being your teacher and more importantly, I love how close we have gotten this year.”

“This teacher stole a piece of her innocence”

The student’s mother, Ann Mitchell, reported the letter to school officials and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office on March 9. Williams was reassigned to a non-instructional role the following day and subsequently resigned on April 23. The school board formally accepted his resignation on April 29. 

The incident has sparked outrage among parents and community , with many questioning the school’s handling of the situation. Mitchell expressed her distress during a school board meeting, stating, “She has nightmares and wakes up having cried in her sleep. This teacher stole a piece of her innocence.”

A school board member added, “I commend her bravery to speak up,” referring to the girl’s mother who brought the note to the school district’s attention, “because she has probably saved a lot of other children.” Another board member added, “This is horrific.”

The girl’s father called the note “incredibly upsetting … What can I do legally out of frustration from being in receipt of something like this?” he responded. “What more could he have done to my daughter?” he added.

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an ongoing investigation, and a harassment charge related to bullying is expected to be filed against Williams


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William Kennedy
William Kennedy is a full-time freelance content writer and journalist in Eugene, OR. William covered true crime, among other topics for Grunge.com. He also writes about live music for the Eugene Weekly, where his beat also includes arts and culture, food, and current events. He lives with his wife, daughter, and two cats who all politely accommodate his obsession with Doctor Who and The New Yorker.