A Florida history teacher is fighting for her reputation after the state’s attorney general accused her of trying to ‘cancel’ an eighth-grade student over his conservative views.
Liz Ballard, a teacher at Pine View School in Sarasota County, allegedly singled out the boy as the conservative voice in classroom political discussions, branded him a ‘misogynist’ and disparaged his father, according to a September 21 letter from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
Uthmeier has now demanded she be fired if the explosive allegations are substantiated.
But Ballard’s union has pushed back sharply, saying the attorney general’s account does not match the findings of an ongoing district investigation.
‘What I read in that letter is not accurate at all compared to the actual investigation,’ Jason Means, president of the Sarasota Classified/Teachers Association, told WFLA while discussing the case.
The furious clash has now put a classroom dispute at the center of a statewide political firestorm, with Uthmeier calling for Ballard’s dismissal and the revocation of her teaching certificate if the allegations laid out in his letter are confirmed.
Uthmeier, who is running for re-election, wrote to Sarasota County Schools Superintendent Terry Connor and the school board after his Office of Parental Rights was informed of allegations that Ballard had ‘harassed, disparaged, and deliberately tried to cancel’ the eighth-grader because of his conservative political views.
The district says it will review the evidence and ensure a fair process before deciding what action, if any, is appropriate.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has called for history teacher Liz Ballard to be fired and lose her teaching certificate if the allegations against her are substantiated
Ballard teaches history at Pine View School in Osprey, where she is accused of singling out an eighth-grade student over what Uthmeier described as his ‘conservative’ political views
According to Uthmeier’s account, political subjects were routinely discussed in Ballard’s history class.
The student allegedly told her that his parents had expressly forbidden him from participating in such discussions.
Uthmeier claims Ballard nevertheless continued drawing him into debates and began treating him as the classroom’s representative of the conservative perspective.
The dispute allegedly escalated when Ballard labeled the boy a ‘misogynist,’ according to the attorney general.
Uthmeier further alleged she spread the description around the school and ‘openly questioned the suitability and influence of the student’s father.’
He wrote that Ballard had been the subject of ‘multiple HR investigations initiated by multiple parents’ but continued teaching at Pine View.
The attorney general’s letter acknowledged that its claims still needed to be corroborated.
But Uthmeier said that if they were confirmed, Ballard’s alleged conduct would have violated Florida law, Sarasota County School Board policy and professional standards governing educators.
Attorney General James Uthmeier laid out the explosive allegations in a letter to Sarasota County Schools, calling for Ballard to be fired if the claims are substantiated
Teachers’ union president Jason Means is representing Ballard and has pushed back against Uthmeier’s account, saying the allegations in his letter are ‘not accurate at all compared to the actual investigation’
He accused Ballard of singling the student out and pressuring him ‘to defend political positions on demand in front of his classmates.’
The attorney general went even further in describing the alleged consequences, accusing her of facilitating ‘the reputational destruction of a child.’
‘Ms. Ballard’s deliberate bullying and harassment of this eighth-grade student violated Florida law, School Board policy, and at least six ethical principles,’ Uthmeier alleged.
The letter cited Florida’s anti-bullying and harassment laws as well as professional rules barring teachers from harassing or discriminating against students because of political beliefs – and from intentionally exposing students to unnecessary embarrassment or disparagement.
‘Based on the foregoing allegations, if true, Ms. Ballard should be dismissed and her educator certificate revoked,’ Uthmeier concluded.
He gave the district until October 1 to tell his office what it had done, or planned to do, about the allegations.
The teacher’s union has offered a starkly different assessment.
Means said the union is representing Ballard in an investigation that has already been underway for several months and suggested Uthmeier’s intervention was unnecessary.
Sarasota County Schools Superintendent Terry Connor said the district will examine the facts, ensure a ‘fair process for all involved’ and take appropriate action based on its findings
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‘She’s a great teacher at a great school, Pine View’s a great school,’ Means told WFLA.
He acknowledged the attorney general could send such a letter but questioned the decision to intervene.
‘I feel like that he might have bigger fish to fry,’ Means said.
Sarasota County Schools which serves more than 44,000 students across 59 schools, confirmed Terry Connor as its superintendent on its current website.
Connor said the school system had received Uthmeier’s letter and would take the allegations seriously.
‘Every student deserves a classroom where they feel safe, respected, and free to learn,’ Connor said in a statement.
‘No student should face harassment, humiliation, or retaliation because of their beliefs or their family’s views.’
‘Respect for students and parents is fundamental to the trust our community places in our schools,’ he added.
But Connor also stressed that Ballard is entitled to a fair investigation rather than a conclusion being reached solely from the allegations contained in Uthmeier’s letter.
‘The allegations in the letter warrant careful attention,’ the superintendent said. ‘We will examine the relevant facts and records, ensure a fair process for all involved, and take appropriate action based on the findings and requirements.’
The district said it would restrict its public discussion of individual details because of privacy concerns, while insisting that would not diminish its ‘commitment to accountability.’
The district has not clarified Ballard’s current employment status.
