Litigation against the Hernando County School District stemming from an incident that drew national attention three years ago is quietly moving forward, with the school board meeting behind closed doors on April 21 to discuss a lawsuit filed against the district by former assistant principal Kerry Thornton.
The suit, first filed in October 2024, alleges the district scapegoated Thornton for a March 2023 incident in which a transgender teacher was allowed to return to her classroom after making concerning statements. Thornton claims the district falsely blamed her for the decision to return the teacher to her classroom and then retaliated against her when she filed a complaint by demoting her and creating a hostile work environment.
Thornton, who was fired by the district in 2024 after more than 25 years of employment, is seeking an undisclosed amount of damages.
Background
On March 24, 2023, Kerry Thornton was an assistant principal at Fox Chapel Middle School. A teacher at the school, who was transitioning from male to female at the time, confided in Thornton that she was upset by posts critical of her gender identity and was “having bad thoughts.” According to a school guidance counselor Thornton called in, the teacher told her she “sometimes had suicidal thoughts” and wanted to shoot some of her students in frustration of their poor academic performance. The teacher immediately added that she would never hurt her students but said she was planning to let a family...
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