The Florida Cabinet will meet next Tuesday to discuss excavations at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, a reform school in Marianna which was allegedly the site of torture, abuse and even the deaths of over 50 boys living there during the school’s 100-year history.
Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet voted over two years ago to grant permission to a team of anthropologists from the University of South Florida to exhume bodies and look deeper into what really happened at the Dozier school.
For two years, the team has pored over several gravesites at the school in an attempt to positively identify the remains of boys and bring closure to their families, who have desperately searched for answers about their fates for many years.
The Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys has come under fire several times since it was founded 114 years ago in 1900. Allegations of torture and abuse, both physical and sexual, of boys living at the school became more common in recent years, and the calls to exhume bodies grew louder so families could get answers to questions about what happened to their relatives at the reform school.
The school initially reported there were only 31 graves at the site, but researchers found an additional 24 upon further investigation.
USF anthropologists have made many unsettling findings during the exhumation process, including the discovery of a possible ‘rape room’ where boys were sexually assaulted at the school. Since the exhumation process began, several family members have volunteered for DNA testing to help positively identify the remains of the boys at the school.
Several boys were positively identified using DNA testing.
The team of researchers was granted an extension through January to complete the exhumation and identification process at the school. January is also when the anthropologists will submit their final report to the state.
The Florida Cabinet has been heavily involved in the process. Attorney General Pam Bondi called for action on the exhumation process and vowed to be a strong supporter of the process.
Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater also chimed in on the excavation process, urging Secretary of State Ken Detzner to put the team’s research in the hands of the right department to continue with the recommendations set forth by the anthropologists.
“The issues involving the preservation of historical resources and records, archives, and state monuments seem best to be handled by the Department of State or an appropriate oversight body,” wrote Atwater. “Having one entity to oversee these next phases and ensuring the inclusion of stakeholders and families will be paramount as we move towards eventual closure."
See the Cabinet meeting agenda here.
Reach Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com
