ROYAL PALM BEACH, Fla. — Just days ago, Jordan Augustine, a former employee of Royal Palm Beach High School, arrested in 2024, pleaded guilty to sex crimes against a student at that school. In doing so, he struck a deal reducing a 10-year sentence to just two years.
Jordan Augustine, 31, pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual contact with a minor and unlawful sexual activity with a minor by an authority figure of a school.
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He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but that could change with a plea deal, shrinking the sentence to 2 years with probation if he surrenders to the court at the end of the month without any new crimes or violations
WPTV reporter Michael Hoffman spoke with parents and former students in Royal Palm Beach to see how they felt about the deal.
"It's highly upsetting," said parent Ken Wright. "The first question I would ask is, why? The second question I would ask is, what if it were your child?"
"I can see why people are outraged," said recent high school graduate Elijah.
"It needs to be more intense," said former Royal Palm Beach High School student Vanessa McGee. "Like, people just begin to slap on a wrist, and then they think it's OK."
Searching for answers, Hoffman reached out to Dave Aronberg, the former state attorney for Palm Beach County.
He said that when it comes to reductions in sentences like these, it's fairly common.
"First and foremost, prosecutors think of the victim," Aronberg said. "That's the person who had to deal with this trauma, and you don't want to victimize them again by putting them in court under a cross-examination, if you don't need to. If there's a resolution that every side, that all sides wants, it does justice that keeps this person away from children, that makes them a registered sex offender, that all sides agree to, well, then that is a decent resolution."
He said at the end of the day, he's not getting off easy.
"So, this is all a balancing act, and you're dealing with a judge here, Judge Caroline Shepherd, who's known for being one of the toughest," Aronberg said. "This is not a 'let him go judge'. So, this judge would never have accepted a plea deal like this unless the facts warranted it."
WPTV reached out to the school district for comment, and they sent a statement that reads:
"The School District of Palm Beach County does not comment on individual personnel matters. Please note, the School District holds all employees to the highest standards of conduct as outlined in our Code of Ethics and will hold employees accountable. The District will continue to expect every staff member to meet the professional and ethical standards required to keep students and community members safe and provide the best educational experience possible."
