VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Former Virginia Beach City Public Schools P.E. teacher Joseph Molineaux, recently arrested on charges of trespassing on school property and possession of child pornography, had a lengthy disciplinary history before his February 2023 retirement.
According to documents obtained by WAVY through a Freedom of Information Act request, Molineaux was reprimanded at least seven times between 2005 and 2022 for incidents ranging from inappropriate comments to students, profanity, and policy violations.
The earliest record, from April 2006, shows Molineaux failed to meet with students on IEPs (Individualized Educational Plans) and neglected required documentation. That same year, he was reprimanded for making an anonymous profane phone call to a local newspaper, criticizing school administration.
In 2011, while working at Green Run High School, he admitted to using profanity in a locker room, calling students “motherf——s.” A parent complaint led to an official apology.
In 2021, he was disciplined for taking flashlights from a school security locker and for leaving students unsupervised for 26 minutes due to his failure to request a substitute teacher. Later that year, he made inappropriate comments to a substitute teacher, including asking if she was transitioning genders, leading her to refuse further assignments in his class.
In 2022, students at Kempsville High School accused him of making uncomfortable jokes about friendships being romantic. He was warned that any further misconduct would result in dismissal.
Just one month before his retirement, administrators again flagged “safety concerns with the learning environment,” citing his lack of instructional planning and inability to manage classroom behavior.
Despite these numerous infractions, Molineaux remained employed until his voluntary retirement in February 2023. In 2024, he was arrested on charges related to child pornography and trespassing on school grounds, bringing renewed scrutiny to his troubled employment history.
Virginia Beach Public Schools officials have not commented on how Molineaux’s repeated misconduct was handled over the years.
