In Mississippi, a well-known former journalism instructor at duPont Manual High School was arrested on allegations of child pornography.
According to court filings, James H. Miller, 50, was charged in Jefferson Circuit Court on Wednesday with two charges of encouraging a sex performance by a kid under the age of 16 and two counts of possession of matter portraying a sex performance by a minor.
According to an email from Commonwealth’s Attorney Office First Assistant Erwin Roberts, the accusations originate from two recordings officials say were obtained on Miller’s phone where he allegedly was photographing a minor undressing.
“No public school children were involved,” Roberts stated, but he didn’t elaborate.
Miller was also issued a no-contact order on Monday, directing him to remain away from the victim.
Miller did to appear for his arraignment in Louisville on Tuesday morning, but he was arrested and freed on bond in Mississippi.
His arraignment has been postponed until June 13, according to his attorney, Scott Cox.
Miller handed in his letter of resignation to duPont Manual Principal Michael Newman on March 10.
“One of the greatest, most challenging, and most fulfilling tasks of my life has been working at duPont Manual, my alma mater,” he wrote in his resignation letter. “Unfortunately, and with great regret, I must submit my resignation, effective April 13, 2022, due to personal circumstances beyond my control.”
When contacted on Sunday evening, JCPS spokeswoman Carolyn Callahan said she didn’t know if Miller was under investigation by the district when he left.
Miller had not been in a classroom since January 12, she added, despite his resignation taking effect in mid-April. When Miller left the classroom, she said she didn’t know if he was under investigation by the district.
On social media, student journalists at Manual remarked Miller abruptly left in January. He was on leave to deal with family concerns, they were told.
If JCPS instructors are aware that they are being investigated by the district or law enforcement, they are often reassigned to non-instructional responsibilities. Miller’s formal resignation paperwork shows he was still assigned to work at Manual when he quit in spring, and JCPS personnel records show no record of him being reassigned to a non-instructional capacity.
Internal investigations are typically postponed until police investigations are completed. JCPS will continue to remove teachers from classrooms while investigations are conducted.
