Florida middle school teacher booted after discussing her ‘pansexual identity’ with students

A Florida middle school teacher talked to her art students about her “pansexual” identity, and after the class drew LGTBQ+ flags in response to her revelation, she claims she was fired for having the discussion.

“I’m really ashamed, disappointed, because I feel like it was all my fault,” Casey Scott, who taught at Trafalgar Middle School in the Lee County School District, told NBC2 News on Tuesday. “And I was just being myself.”

“A discussion happened in class, and because of that, now I’m fired,” the first-year teacher claimed.

“A lot of the kids came up to me and were, like, ‘Oh, well, I’m non-binary.’ And a couple of the kids said, ‘oh, well I’m bi.’ One kid said they’re gay,” Scott said, leading the students to question her about her own sexual identity.

“I’m pansexual,” Scott, who is married to a man, said.

“So, like, I like anyone, despite male, female, non-binary, transgender,” she explained.

After sharing this intimate detail of her personal life with the children in her class, Scott says some of the students asked to create art that expresses their sexuality and began drawing LGTBQ+ flags, which Scott hung in the classroom.


The school was not amused.

“They said that it would be in the best interest if I just get rid of them now,” Scott says.

So, the teacher made the dramatic choice to rip down the students’ creations and crumple them up in front of them before snapping a photo of the wads of colorful, crinkled art.

“I went over to the recycling bin, I grabbed all of their flags, and all the kids were staring at me,” Scott said. “And I crumbled (sic) their flags in front of them.”

After being sent home, Scott received a call from the administration informing her that she was being released from her contract.

While Scott produced social media posts from her supportive students, the Lee School District provided NBC2 with letters from complaining parents expressing their concerns.

Teachers Union President Kevin Daly confirmed that the school was within its legal rights to fire Scott and that she was not a member of the union.

“During that probationary period they can let you go without cause,” Daly said.

The firing, said Daly, should be a wake-up call for teachers who want to discuss LGBTQ issues with their students.

“There is kind of a heightened state of where is the boundary? And what are employees supposed to do? Or allowed to do, when a topic comes up in discussion,” Daly said.

Scott’s termination was preceded by mere days the signing into law of the “Parental Rights in Education Act,” which prohibits the discussion of sexual identities in K-3 classrooms, by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

On Twitter, many were happy to see the woke teacher shown the door, with some speculating that there must be more to the story.

“As a former teacher I promise there is more to this story than one activity and one comment,” wrote one user. “Legally schools have to have very strong grounds to fire, especially mid school year. She had no right talking to kids about this stuff. Leave our kids alone!!!!”

“They just can’t stop talking about their sexuality,” another tweeted. “Everything about them is tied back into it.”

“They also have no concept of keeping boundaries between themselves & children,” the user added. “A lot of them legit don’t understand why these topics aren’t appropriate & that goes too far, real fast.”

Another user just wants Florida to make room for more residents.

“FL needs to expand into some liberal states,” the user tweeted, “they are running out of land and we all need to move there.”

Melissa Fine

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