Daniel Norment, a middle school math teacher in Jupiter, Florida, was arrested on May 10, 2022, after allegedly committing a sex crime on a 16-year-old student two years prior. He was charged with one count of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and a sex offense against a student by an authority figure. Norment, 41, has been a math teacher at Independence Middle School, located at 4001 Greenway Drive in Jupiter, for six years.
According to media reports, Jupiter Police received a complaint in March 2022, from the now 18-year-old victim stating that Daniel Norment allegedly had sex with her in the closet of his classroom two years ago. The victim stated that Norment was her teacher in 8th grade when they met. She also said that she came forward now because Norment has been harassing her daily, adding "Norment should not be around youth." In her report to the police, she told them that Norment used her and realized it was wrong for them to have sex at the school. The teen stated, "I struggle with the incident daily and am not sure if I will ever be able to resolve it in my mind." Jupiter police say the teacher had been reprimanded several times for inappropriate behavior with students before school officials reassigned him from Independence Middle School to an administrative role in March.
Investigation of Daniel Norment
During the investigation, Jupiter Police discovered that Norment was the alleged victim's 8th-grade teacher at Independence Middle School. The arrest report states that the teen claims that Norment used to always tell her "she was different and mature for her age" and gave her good grades for doing nothing. When the girl went to high school, she often visited Norment at her former middle school and helped him with paperwork and cleaning his classroom, then the two would hang out. Over time, Norment reportedly began to get more affectionate with the teen, hugging her, rubbing her back, and kissing her on the cheek.
The arrest report states that on one occasion, he rubbed her "in a passionate way," touching her breasts and butt over her clothing. It says Norment kissed her on the lips and told her he was falling in love with her. At the start of her 11th-grade year, the 16-year-old visited Norment's classroom and told police that he "became more aggressive and passionate," touching her breasts and backside. The teacher then led the student into a closet in his classroom, took off her clothing, and had sex with her.
Upon further investigation, Jupiter police found out that Norment often took students into his classroom closet to "counsel them." Norment was also the coach of the girls' basketball team, and former students stated that he allowed the students to change in/out of their uniforms inside his classroom after school hours.
The Middle School Employees Knew About Daniel Norment's Inappropriate Behavior
During the police investigation, three assistant principals at Independence Middle School said they were aware of some inappropriate non-criminal behavior by Norment while teaching at the school for the past couple of years. This included bringing former students - all girls - to his classroom after school to visit or help with him administrative responsibilities. On other occasions, he would reported take students into a large closet in his classroom to "counsel" them. Police said the school reprimanded Norment several times and removed him from the coaching position, but he continued teaching math until early March when the claim was reported. The school principal released a letter to the parents confirming Norment's arrest, saying the teacher was reassigned to a "non-student contact position" away from the school in March regarding an incident that allegedly occurred two years ago. Yet, the letter did not say he was fired.
Norment was finally arrested after the two-month investigation was completed. He remained at the Palm Beach County Jail with his bail set at $100,000. Luckily, the judge ordered Norment was ordered to have no contact with the School District of Palm Beach County or anyone under the age of 18.
GUILTY PLEA (UPDATE)
On September 12, 2022, Daniel Norment pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a minor. He was sentenced to three years in state prison followed by four years of probation. In addition, Daniel Norment must register as sexual offender in Florida.
Schools are educational institutions in which children should be able to learn and develop skills in a nurturing environment. It is expected that they are safe from violence, bullying, harassment, and sexual abuse. Teachers and coaches are entrusted to facilitate learning and support the educational needs of their students. Someone who sexually violates young children has no place working in the school system. Any school in which such a crime is committed should take responsibility if they fail to properly screen potential teachers and protect their students.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse in schools and other educational settings. If you or a loved one was sexually abused, raped, or sexually molested by a principal, teacher, or another school employee, contact our law firm at 888-283-9922 or send an e-mail to sexual abuse lawyer, Adam Horowitz, at adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com for a free consultation.