A middle school teacher in Florida who identifies as transgender allegedly threatened to "shoot some students" after discovering negative social media posts about her identity. The educator was later removed from the position at Fox Chapel Middle School, and authorities collected several firearms and ammunition from the teacher's home.
Parents were outraged that the school reportedly took more than two weeks to remove the teacher, and the incident has sparked serious debate online.
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The transgender middle school teacher was upset about social media posts.
The educator, who has not been identified but who uses she/her pronouns, was reportedly upset about several social media posts that criticized her sexual identity. This led to the teacher having a meeting with the middle school’s guidance counselor. During this discussion with the counselor on March 24, the teacher allegedly stated she was having “bad thoughts," according to Radar Online.
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The middle school educator went to see the school counselor and made startling statements about threatening students.
During her conversation with the middle school’s guidance counselor, the teacher allegedly made a disturbing comment. She reportedly said that she “wanted to shoot some students due to them not performing to their ability," according to Radar Online. The counselor noted that the teacher followed up the comment by saying she wouldn’t hurt a student, the news outlet reported.
An incident report obtained by the New York Post noted the teacher “feels that the students are not trying to pass their class and she does not want to see them fail.” Three firearms and ammunition were later retrieved from the teacher's home, the newspaper reported.
Parents were livid it took the school more than two weeks to remove the teacher.
Although the initial comment made by the teacher in the counselor's office happened on March 24, the decision to remove the instructor was reportedly not made until April 13, per the Florida Department of Education's tweet. The statement posted on Twitter indicated that the teacher had still been working at the school until the agency stepped in.
At a school board meeting following the incident, parents voiced their concerns and frustration. “At the end of the day, we don’t care who they are, what they identify as, or where they are from," one parent said. "Something was said and we were kept in the dark for weeks and we had to find out via social media,” reported the Post.
The controversial incident has sparked debate online.
Readers of the Post article covering the story have conflicting opinions about what happened at Fox Chapel Hill Middle School. Some readers pointed out the lack of firearm regulations in Florida while others criticized the teacher.
“What do you expect from a state that allows ANYONE to 'pack heat' without licensing or regulation; they are 'begging' for Floridians to 'stand their ground' when they feel threatened, and they have the ga[l]l to talk about NYC," one person commented. "Florida public schools are sub par keeping in suite with majority red/republican states..just plain ole dummies.”
“The teacher was probably speaking colloquially and was not intending any harm," someone else wrote. "HOWEVER, in today's society if that teacher actually shot a student or students the County would be on the hook for millions. The teacher has to go.”
