A former high school teacher had his teaching license revoked after he was accused of making racist comments toward athletes and sexting female students.
Investigative records obtained by The Daytona Beach News-Journal revealed Kendall Bradley lost his teaching license due to the allegations. He was hired by Volusia County Schools in February 2017 to work as a physical education teacher and football coach at Atlantic High School. By November 2017 he was fired from the school.
During his tenure, the football team lost every game they played that season and officials received complaints about the language Bradley used toward the students. The players claimed he cursed at them and told them to “stop acting black.” They also stated Bradley read their grades out loud in front of everyone to embarrass them. It was the second time he had gotten in trouble for using inappropriate language toward students. Bradley was eventually terminated because he was unable to complete a one-year probationary period. At the time, Bradley claimed he was fired without cause.
When he lost his job, Bradley was not allowed to seek employment with the school district. However, his file was updated two weeks later, in December 2017, to note he could apply for vacant positions.
It stayed that way until February 2018. According to a police report, he was accused of soliciting sex from two 15-year-old female students and exchanging inappropriate pictures via text and Snapchat. He reportedly sent nude photos, asked them to engage in group sex and requested nude photos from them. He was 31 years old and substitute teaching for the district at the time. Bradley was able to work for a month after the police were notified.
The Port Orange Police Department was willing to prosecute Bradley, but because they didn’t have any physical evidence and one of the victims’ parents refused to hand over an iPad for evidence the case was closed. The police never made contact with Bradley. Volusia Schools also closed their investigation and forwarded their findings to the Florida Department of Education.
Bradley did not challenge the allegations and surrendered his teaching license in December 2019. Even though he did not contest the charges following the investigation, he denied any wrongdoing to the News-Journal.
“During my time at Atlantic, my only focus was to be a positive influence on the students, players, and community,” he said in a statement. “At no point did I communicate or interact inappropriately with any student. Nor was I discriminatory or out of line in my communication with student athletes.”
