Gun charge dropped against Baldwin principal as school board prepares to vote on termination

The Duval County School Board is set to vote on whether to terminate Baldwin Middle-Senior High School principal Michael Smith at its Nov. 9 board meeting. This comes as Duval County court records show a charge of possession of a firearm on school property has been dropped against Smith, as of Nov. 5. Smith was issued a Notice to Appear on Sept. 15 on a charge of possession of a firearm on school property, a second-degree misdemeanor. He was not taken into custody.Tip leads to K-9 deploymentAccording to his arrest report, Duval County School Police received a tip that a firearm was present on school grounds, prompting Chief of Police Jackson Short and another officer to respond to the school in Baldwin.Officers met with Smith in his office, where Chief Short read him his constitutional rights from a printed form. Smith signed the form, acknowledging he understood those rights, according to the report.Chief Short told Smith that a tip had been received alleging he had a handgun inside h