Miami Jackson Teacher Arrested on Sex Charges Near Overtown

Leroy Wright Jr., 46, was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center around 5:20 p.m. Friday by Miami-Dade Schools Police, according to Miami-Dade jail records. He faces three felony charges: unlawful sexual activity with a specified minor, possession of obscene material depicting a minor, and offenses against students by authority figures. A $2,500 bond was set for the obscene material charge, with no bond yet for the others, jail records show. Miami Jackson Senior High School, located at 1755 NW 36th St. in the Allapattah neighborhood bordering Overtown, employed Wright until his arrest. In a statement Saturday, Miami-Dade County Public Schools confirmed: "Miami-Dade County Public Schools is aware of the arrest of an employee from Miami Jackson Senior High School by the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department. The district has initiated employment termination proceedings and will ensure the individual is precluded from seeking future employment with the district." Principal Lourdes Navarro informed parents via message that Wright was "removed from the school site," per Miami Herald reporting of the district's communication. It remains unclear if the minor was a student at Miami Jackson, officials have not confirmed. The arrest comes amid heightened scrutiny on school safety in Miami-Dade, where recent public safety incidents like a fatal DUI crash involving a Cybertruck driver underscore ongoing concerns for families in Overtown and Allapattah. Parents in the area, many walking to the school daily along NW 36th Street, expressed shock in initial reactions captured by Local 10 News. This case unfolds as Florida grapples with broader education challenges, including the state Legislature's recent passage of an education voucher expansion affecting school choice for Overtown families. Amid rising foreclosures and insurance costs straining local households, incidents eroding trust in public schools heighten anxieties over child safety and resource allocation in Miami-Dade Public Schools, the nation's fourth-largest district.