Transgender teacher who threatened to shoot students removed from Fox Chapel school, cops seize firearms
HERNANDO COUNTY, FLORIDA: A transgender teacher who allegedly threatened to shoot students and complained about having "bad thoughts" is now facing disciplinary action. The Hernando School District (HSD) removed the teacher, who uses she/her pronouns, from a class before police recovered three firearms and ammunition from her home.
The teacher at Fox Chapel Middle School, who is allegedly transgender, recently learned of a social media post that disparaged her sexual orientation. On March 24, she was sent to the school guidance counselor's office after she complained to the assistant principal about having "bad thoughts," according to Wear News ABC 3. The teacher reportedly "made a comment that she wanted to shoot some students due to them not performing to their ability," stated an incident report acquired by Crisis in the Classroom (CITC).
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Why was the teacher removed?
However, she "immediately stated she would never harm a student" and “she does not want to harm herself." Later that day, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office (HSCO) conducted a search at the teacher’s residence where they discovered three firearms and ammunition. Last week, the school sent a letter to concerned parents and teachers, noting that the investigation was ongoing and the teacher, under scrutiny, has been removed from "all student contact." The instructor was only removed after the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) decided to intervene, according to Daily Mail.
"Earlier this week, the Department was informed of a situation regarding student safety at a school in Hernando County," an FLDOE notice indicated, adding, "Upon the Department bringing the concern to the Superintendent Wednesday evening, only then did the district remove the teacher from the school, effective yesterday, Thursday, April 13." Before the report was released, enraged parents showed up at the school meeting and raised their protest against the teacher.
‘She is a respected educator’
Some parents even threatened to pull their children out of the school. "The fact that it took two weeks for us, as parents, to find out that anything happened is mind-boggling," a concerned parent told WEAR News ABC 3. He continued by saying he also got in touch with Governor Ron DeSantis' office to look into the situation. However, there were also some parents who supported the teacher. They asserted that the "allegations" are "clearly false," and they believe the instructor is being singled out for attack because of her decision to come out as transgender
"She was and is a respected educator until she was brave enough to work on showing her true self and came out as trans," one mother at the meeting said. "Her soul and her teaching abilities are the same, if not better since she feels more comfortable in her own skin." Crisis in the Classroom was informed that the district would not elaborate on the situation beyond the letter it sent last week and that the Hernando County District was taking "all actions" to make sure the "campus is safe."