What did Donna Barber do? Franklin County teacher resigns as explicit chats with imprisoned boyfriend comes to light 

A Florida teacher, Donna Barber, resigned this week after she was caught engaging in explicit video chats with her prison inmate boyfriend, Lawrence Ray. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office revealed that the teacher used to make calls from her office during school hours.

The incident came to light after Franklin County Sheriff A.J. Smith assigned a staffer to keep a close eye on the video chats of inmates at the lockup, earlier this month.

While prosecutors claimed that there was no cause for a criminal charge against Donna Barber, the teacher resigned from her job amidst school authorities investigating the matter.

The Sheriff also released a video earlier this month where he expressed concern about the case, saying:

“I think parents have a right to know who’s teaching their kids. That’s why I published this.”

The now-deleted video had the Sheriff talking about Donna Barber and her imprisoned boyfriend. He said:

“Prison is not a resort. People in prison have to follow the rules, you have to have order. Otherwise, there can be chaos and it can be dangerous for the staff who have to take care of the inmates.”

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Screenshots released by authorities show Donna Barber and inmate boyfriend in a split screen video call

The school widened its investigation after police informed relevant authorities that the video chats between Donna Barber and her prisoner boyfriend were happening during school hours and that too, inside the campus.

Moreover, authorities revealed that the school was initially unaware that the misconduct was taking place on campus.

Once screenshots of the video chat were revealed, staff reportedly said that Barber was a respected teacher who was almost on the verge of retirement. Needless to say, several parents and teachers were angered by the incident and deemed the Florida teacher's actions as being unacceptable.

Screenshots released by authorities show Donna in her office video chatting with her prison boyfriend. (Image via @renmusb1/ Twitter)

The 53-year-old teacher, Donna Barber, also claimed that the school board was most likely to recommend termination, which was why she resigned from her job.

In the screenshots, Donna Barber can be seen in her office, and her boyfriend can be seen in the prison cafeteria with other inmates in the background. The pictures have a split screen set-up with Barber on the left panel and her boyfriend on the right.

Images of Donna and her prison boyfriend created a stir on social media as many parents found it "inappropriate." (Image via @renmusb1/ Twitter)

The Sherrif also revealed that prison video calls have become more common in recent years, as these do not require much staffing when compared to in-person visits. However, friends and family of the inmates who video call need to agree to some ground rules laid down by the prison authorities, which specify that the calls are monitored and recorded.

The rules also mention:

“Conduct that is illegal or inappropriate in any way, including indecent exposure, will not be tolerated.”

As per the prison rules, the video call can be terminated at any time if the staff of the prison monitoring the calls feels that the inmate or the family is crossing a line or being inappropriate. At the moment, neither the Sheriff's office nor the teacher, Donna Barber, have spoken out and addressed the matter.