The head of the Xceed Preparatory Academy in Coral Springs is facing a felony charge in Broward County over alleged sexual misconduct with a teenage boy at the private school.
Prosecutors filed the case against Tracy Michelle Smith on Tuesday and she is facing a charge of soliciting or engaging in sexual conduct by an authority figure, a second-degree felony.
Coral Springs police officers arrested Smith, 43, of Boynton Beach, on Monday at the school’s parking lot after a student in the 10th grade reported on April 13 that she had sexually molested him.
”The allegations resulting in Ms. Smith’s arrest yesterday came as a complete shock to everyone at the school,” Attorney Brian Bieber, who represents Xceed, said in a statement Tuesday, adding Smith had worked at the school for about three years.
The teen reported that it all started when Smith brought an additional chair into her office for him and they would “lock legs” while at her desk. Coral Springs Detective Mark Mitter reported there was evidence to corroborate the allegations about the abuse from last October to April 6, according to the arrest report.
Smith had an “almost 20-year” career in education, and she had served as an administrator, academic coach, instructor, and program manager at both public and private schools, according to the school’s public profile.
Smith also had experience as an elementary and middle school teacher and had been nominated for “Teacher of the Year” after earning a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Florida State University, according to the profile.
After a bond court judge ordered her to stay away from the student and the school, Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies released Smith on a $25,000 bond on Tuesday.
“The school and its staff will cooperate with law enforcement in every way possible,” Bieber said in a statement adding that “a safe learning environment is paramount” at Xceed, which also has academies in Weston and Kendall.
Broward County Circuit Judge Barbara R. Duffy is presiding over Smith’s felony case.
Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editor Frine Gomez contributed to this report.