Transgender Teacher on Removed After Allegedly Threatening to Shoot Students

Fox Chapel Middle School in Hernando County, Fla. Google Maps/Screenshot via NTD

A transgender teacher at a Florida middle school was allowed to remain on campus for several weeks after allegedly making disturbing comments about shooting students and “having bad thoughts.”

In a statement released on April 14, the Florida Department of Education responded to the situation regarding student safety at Fox Chapel Middle School in Hernando County, saying the teacher, Ashlee Renczkowski, has been removed from the school.

The department noted that the removal happened only after state officials raised their concerns with Hernando County School District Superintendent John Stratton Wednesday evening.

According to an incident report obtained by parental rights group “Moms for Liberty,” a school resource officer temporarily assigned to Fox Chapel Middle School was notified by Assistant Principal Kerry Thornton and Guidance Counselor Kimberly Walby on March 24 regarding Renczkowski making “concerning statements about self-harm” and possibly shooting students.

Thornton was alerted to the situation after visiting Renczkowski’s classroom and asking the teacher how the day was going, according to the report.

“Not good, I’m having bad thoughts,” Renczkowski responded.

The report also noted that Renczkowski is a biological male and is “currently in the transformation stage of becoming a woman.” In 2021, he abandoned his birth name, Alexander, and started using the name Ashlee Belle.

Thornton then contacted Walby to tell the guidance counselor that Renczkowski was on his way to her office to talk. During the conversation, Renczkowski expressed having suicidal thoughts and a desire “to shoot some students due to them not performing to their ability.” The teacher also admitted to owning three firearms, which police have since removed from his home.

However, after Renczkowski made the comments, the teacher immediately went on to say that he “would never harm a student” and also stated that he does not want to inflict self-harm, according to the report.

Renczkowski, whose wife, Fawn, also works at the middle school, also talked about being upset after learning about a social media post where people allegedly “talked negatively” about the couple’s sexual orientation and lifestyle.

The teacher also mentioned becoming triggered at times by students in the fourth-period class “not performing to their abilities” and “not trying to pass their class,” explaining further that he “does not want to see them fail.”

Threat Assessment

On March 27, Renczkowski was appointed to undergo therapy with the school district’s mental health coordinator, Sandra Hurst, who conducted a threat assessment and determined that the teacher did not meet the criteria of the Baker Act, under which police may take a person into custody and subject them to psychiatric examination if there is a likelihood that the person will harm themselves or others.

The investigation concluded that the comments were made “out of frustration,” noting that Renczkowski did not intend to inflict harm on himself or anyone else. It did not, however, divulge exactly what was said and only stated that the teacher did not meet Baker Act criteria.

In a press release (pdf) on Wednesday, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) confirmed it was notified about the incident, but the investigation revealed that “no criminal offense(s) occurred; therefore, no arrest(s) could be made.”

“Further, deputies found that the individual did not, at that moment, meet the required criteria for involuntary commitment under the Baker Act,” the release reads. “In an abundance of caution, the HCSO petitioned the court for a temporary Risk Protection Order (RPO). The order was granted immediately. The individual cooperated with law enforcement and immediately turned over all firearms.”

In a public statement issued on Thursday, the same day state officials announced the teacher is no longer at the school, Stratton also said Renczkowski has been removed from “all student contact,” noting that he’s fully cooperating with the investigation.

“The school district will continue to investigate the incident and require further involvement by mental health experts,” Stratton said. “As part of our investigation, we will take a hard look at all the actions that were taken on that day, and in the days following the incident, and determine if any steps were missed.”

“The school district has dedicated a tremendous amount of time and resources toward implementing outstanding school safety protocols,” he added. “As part of our safety practice, conclusions drawn from this incident may lead to consideration of additional safeguards.”

Parents Respond

Since the community learned about the potential threat, multiple concerned parents have spoken out, stressing that they believe the teacher should have never been allowed to remain at the school.

“Anybody that makes a comment like that should not be working in a school,” Mike Martini, a parent of a Fox Chapel student, told FOX13. “If a student made that comment there would be charges pressed. The child would be expelled.”

Aramis Rosario, a parent of another student attending the school told the network: “I was told that the teacher had stated they were going to shoot the kids and they were going to then kill themselves.”

“My heart dropped the moment that I heard that it was confirmed that there [were] actual weapons inside of the household,” he added.

From NTD News