Male teacher posing as female suspended after threatening to shoot students

A male teacher who poses as female has now been removed from a Florida middle school after he threatened to shoot students several weeks ago.

On March 24, Alexander Renczkowski, a math teacher at Fox Chapel Middle School in Hernando County, Florida, reportedly told a school administrator that he had been experiencing suicidal thoughts. He also advised the administrator that he "wanted to shoot some students due to them not performing to their ability," according to a report written by a school resource officer and posted to Facebook by Moms for Liberty.

During his conversation with the administrator that day, Renczkowski admitted that he had recently suffered bouts of depression and that he had been taking anti-depressants. He also identifies as a woman, takes female hormones, "and is planning on having surgery over the summer," the report stated. In 2021, he abandoned the name Alexander and began using the first name Ashlee.

Due to the disturbing nature of his comments, deputies later removed three firearms from the home he shares with his wife, Fawn Renczkowski, who also teaches at Fox Chapel.

However, after an investigation into Renczkowski's situation, school and local mental health professionals, as well as some members of law enforcement, determined that he did not pose a threat to students, and Renczkowski returned to school the next day. Parents were not even informed about Renczkowski's threatening comments until weeks later, when local reporter Tom Lemons broke the story.

Fox Chapel Principal Carmine Rufa then disseminated a recorded statement to parents on Monday, 17 days after Renczkowski made the remark about shooting students.

"While the teacher in question did make a comment to colleagues that was concerning," Rufa reportedly said in the message, "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."

On Tuesday, parents filed into a school board meeting and expressed their outrage both that Renczkowski still had a job and that they hadn't been informed about his threats of violence. At the meeting, Superintendent John Stratton held his ground and repeatedly insisted that Renczkowski had been thoroughly vetted and that the experts had determined that he did not pose a threat to himself or students.

"I can't share all the facts with you," Stratton told parents, "but I can tell you I respect the sheriff's department and his team. And I respect my team. And both of those groups, who do this all the time, I'll remind you, determined there was not an imminent threat."

Stratton also silenced parents by telling them that a school board meeting was not "a back-and-forth" and asked them to trust his judgment and the judgment of local law enforcement.

Within 24 hours, Stratton appeared to change his tune. The Florida Department of Education reached out to Stratton on Wednesday evening, and Renczkowski was removed from the school effective the following morning.

Stratton claimed he reversed course and removed Renczkowski after "details, not previously known by the school district," came to light.

"In light of this additional information, the school district will continue to investigate the incident," a statement from 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.

"As is our longstanding practice, while the matter is under investigation, the teacher will be removed from all student contact and, pending the outcome of the district’s review, no date has been determined for a return to duty," the statement continued.

Though parents are relieved that Renczkowski is out of the classroom, at least for now, some are incensed that Stratton and other district administrators removed him only after receiving significant pressure from parents and the state department of education.

"I find it both scary and comical that the school board is now magically finding more information," said former school board candidate Monty Floyd. "It seems that the only thing has changed is that the public is aware and the district is scrambling to seem relevant after they engaged in a massive gaslighting campaign to bury this incident and mislead parents."

The following is a video, narrated by Principal Rufa, that has been shared on the school's website. At the close of the video, Rufa claims, "We believe our mission at Fox Chapel is to create a safe, enjoyable, and rewarding middle school experience for all our students." No one matching Renczkowski's description appears in the video.

FCMS - A New Decadeyoutu.be

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