Parents in Hernando County, Florida, are outraged after a middle school teacher was allowed to return to the classroom following an investigation into comments the district found “concerning.”
At a school board meeting, Superintendent John Stratton refused to divulge what the teacher said that was concerning but not concerning enough to fire her. However, multiple parents of students at Fox Chapel Middle School have come forward with the same story: they were told this teacher alluded to harming her students and then herself.
According to law enforcement, the teacher made comments because of their behavior. The report states that a trans teacher who identifies as Ashlee Renczkowski teaches math for 6th to 8th grade and was upset at a student when she (he biologically) learned they were mocking him online.
“Ashlee made a comment that she wanted to shoot some students due to them not performing to their ability. Kimberley advised that Ashlee immediately stated that she would never harm a student,” the report added.
During a home visit, deputies removed three firearms.
Aramis Rosario, one of the outraged parents, was informed of the teacher’s comments via a recorded message sent by the school’s principal. “I was told that the teacher had stated they were going to shoot the kids and they were going to then kill themselves,” Rosario shared.
The district called in the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the incident and they determined the comments did not pose an imminent threat. Despite this, many parents are still not comfortable sending their children back to school until the teacher is fired.
The district has since released a statement, saying, “Staff and law enforcement determined the comment was not an imminent threat to the campus, but was instead an expression of frustration at student behavior.”
It is understandable why parents are so concerned about the teacher’s comments and the fact that she was allowed to return to the classroom. No teacher should ever make threats of violence against students no matter who or what they are. The district should have taken the situation more seriously and not allowed the teacher to return to the classroom.
Please see the Florida Department of Education’s statement below on a school safety situation in Hernando County. pic.twitter.com/gBwNpcf4H6
— Florida Department of Education (@EducationFL) April 14, 2023
