A fifth-grade teacher at Ocala Christian Academy is in custody after Ocala police say he took inappropriate pictures of a student and admitted to it. Joel Gould, 34, is accused of holding his cell phone underneath a girl’s skirt while she stood on a picnic table during recess. The girl also told officers that Gould touched her leg several times. Witnesses at recess reported what they saw, according to police. Gould is presumed innocent unless and until a court proves otherwise, but police say he has admitted taking the pictures.
The department has also warned that there could be additional victims, which makes this relevant well beyond Ocala. Families on the Suncoast send their kids to church schools, private academies, and public campuses from Sarasota up through Manatee and Marion County, and every one of those communities relies on the same basic promise: the adults at school keep children safe. Police are asking anyone with information, or anyone whose child may have had contact with Gould, to come forward and speak with detectives.
If you’re a parent processing this, experts and advocates offer the same advice again and again. Keep the conversation with your kids calm and open, remind them their body belongs to them, and reassure them that telling an adult will never get them in trouble. At school, ask what supervision looks like at recess, and report anything that feels off, even if it seems small. If you have information relevant to the Ocala investigation, contact Ocala police. What questions would you want answered before the next school year starts?
