School district moves to fire Grove Park Elementary teacher accused of child solicitation

Xavier Alexander, who taught fourth grade at Grove Park Elementary near Palm Beach Gardens, is being held on $1 million bail following his arrest.

The Palm Beach Post | by Hannah Winston | April 5, 2021

PALM BEACH GARDENS — The Palm Beach County School District is in the process of firing a fourth-grade teacher at Grove Park Elementary School after he was accused of offering to pay a man so he could sexually assault a 2-year-old girl, according to law enforcement and school officials.

Xavier Alexander, 27, faces charges of solicitation of a minor and traveling to meet a minor. On Friday, Circuit Judge Luis Delgado ordered the Palm Beach Gardens-area man to be held on $1 million bail at the Palm Beach County Jail.

On Monday, the district announced it had delivered a letter to Alexander at the jail notifying him that his employment ended April 2. The school board will have the final say and decide this month if his employment with the district will be terminated.

New details about Alexander’s arrest came to light Monday when his arrest report was made public.

Investigators say on March 26, a man with a 2-year-old daughter needed help paying for a motel room where he planned to stay before he could move into his new residence.

He told investigators he posted an ad on Craigslist, a website where people can ask for services, find housing, and sell items, according to the arrest report. He said he got a message from Alexander asking if he would be able to spend any time alone with the child if he agreed to share the cost of the room.

That’s when the man said he reached out to law enforcement.

When Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies working with South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children task force took up the case, they continued the text-message conversation with Alexander. 

In the report, investigators detailed texts they exchanged with Alexander, agreeing to leave the toddler alone with him, so he agreed to pay for the hotel room for the family. 

At one point, the investigator posing as the father said he had “done things” with the girl before and asked that Alexander wear a condom to make sure she was safe. Alexander replied he would. Then they agreed to meet at the Super 8 motel on Hypoluxo Road in Lantana, according to the report.

At one point during the messages, Alexander became suspicious when the girl suddenly had to go to a hospital, delaying the meeting. But he later agreed to meet on April 1, according to the report. 

When Alexander arrived at the Super 8, he was met by investigators instead of the father and toddler and was read his rights. He reportedly told deputies he brought money to pay for the hotel room and condoms, thinking he would sexually assault the child. 

He later told investigators he was a teacher and a babysitter and had touched children over their clothing previously. 

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On Friday, the school district released a statement saying Alexander would not return to any school, whether as a teacher or in any other capacity, until the criminal investigation is complete. While the alleged crimes did not happen on school property, administrators reached out to parents of students in Alexander’s class.

“The District is shocked and appalled by the nature of the crimes for which Alexander was arrested,” they said in a statement Friday.

In a statement Monday, the district said it sent Alexander the letter informing him it released him from his employment during his probationary period.

When a teacher is hired in the district, they are under probation for their first year of employment and can be fired without cause at any point during that period. If an employee were to leave during their employment and then come back, the probationary period would restart, according to the teacher’s union contract. 

According to records, Alexander was first employed with the district in 2016 and was a site director for afterschool care at Grove Park Elementary as recently as the 2019-2020 school year. It’s unclear when the 27-year-old became a classroom teacher.

Alexander has no previous criminal history in Palm Beach County, according to court records. 

The sheriff’s office asked that anyone with information about the case or who believes their child could be involved to contact either Detective Malory Wildove at 561-688-4079 or wildovem@pbso.org, or Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County at 1-800-458-TIPS (8477).

Photo: Xavier Alexander, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office