SPRING HILL, FLORIDA — A transgender teacher who allegedly threatened to shoot his students was allowed to return to his classroom the next day, according to multiple reports.
Ashlee Renczkowski, a teacher at Fox Chapel Middle School in Hernando County, allegedly told a colleague on March 24 that he wanted to shoot some of his students due to their poor performance, according to a sheriff’s incident report released on Thursday by Moms for Liberty Hernando County.
Renczkowski – who changed his name from Alexander to Ashlee in 2021 – was also upset by a negative Facebook post someone made about his lifestyle choices, the report noted.
According to the report, Renczkowski told police he is taking anti-depression medication and drugs designed to disrupt his body’s natural hormone production for the purposes of “transitioning” into a more feminine state. When questioned by the sheriff’s deputy, Renczkowski denied ever saying he wanted to shoot his students.
The sheriff’s deputy and school district mental health coordinator both determined Renczkowski should not be considered an immediate threat to himself or others – the necessary criteria for detaining someone under the Baker Act. In a press release, the sheriff’s office stated that no arrest could be made since no crime occurred.
LOCAL REPORTER BREAKS THE NEWS TO PARENTS
Tom Lemons, the local reporter who broke the news, says a spokesperson for the school district initially “denied that anything happened at all and even questioned the veracity [of] my sources.”
Lemons added that the Hernando County Sheriff's Office did not return his inquiries into the incident and “provided conflicting information to the community regarding the incident.”
Lemons’ story was published on April 7 – two weeks after the incident occurred. Speaking at a school board meeting on Wednesday, parents blasted the school district leadership for not notifying them immediately.
STATE STEPS IN
The district “remove[d] the teacher from the school” after the Florida Department of Education brought the concern to the Superintendent – according to a statement from the Department.
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
SPECIAL “COVER-UP” FOR TRANS TEACHER
The Daily Caller spoke with several parents, who were outraged that the school and district kept them in the dark. Some of the parents believe Renczkowski’s transgender status shielded him from repercussions a normal teacher would likely have encountered.
“They’re trying to cover up,” one parent said. “First of all, this is a transgender teacher who they feel maybe if they fire her, or him, that she might file a lawsuit against the county for … discrimination.”
One father said he pulled his son out of Fox Chapel and won’t ever let him go back to the school.
Another parent added: “The newest police reports state that the teacher just started female hormones. I’m sorry but no one can predict what’s going on in that person’s mind with the changes they are going through.”
MERMAID PARTNER PART OF TEACHERS UNION LEADERSHIP
Renczkowski’s partner, Fawn, is also a teacher at Fox Chapel. She is featured on the Hernando Classroom Teachers Association leadership page with the title: “MS Director (recommended by President and confirmed by vote of the Representative Council).”
Fawn’s Instagram bio suggests that she identifies as a mermaid.
