Human resources documents obtained in a public records request reveal a Sarasota County's teacher’s side, after Florida’s attorney general this week called for her to be fired for allegedly harassing a conservative student at Pine View School.
While the pages are only part of an ongoing investigation that has spanned two years, the accounts from the history teacher and others at the school show she was dealing with a male middle school student who made a series of controversial comments in class.
Some were of a sexual nature, some were about abortion and others were about beating up women. He also talked about the social media influencer Andrew Tate, who is charged with rape and trafficking.
Many names, and the student’s exact words, are redacted in the documents, which cover events from October 2024 to February 2026.
Asked for comment, the district sent a statement by superintendent Terry Connor, who wants to “ensure a fair process for all involved, and take appropriate action based on the findings and requirements,” and “will limit public discussion of individual details.”
Attorney General James Uthmeier posted about the case on X this week, accusing the teacher of labeling the child a “misogynist” based on his political affiliation and said she "deliberately tried to cancel an eighth grade student."
“If true, she should be fired and never teach in Florida again,” said Uthmeier, who is running for election in November after Governor Ron DeSantis appointed him to the post last year.
He gave the district until Oct. 1 to respond.
History of conflict
A 16-page document labeled “Final report” from Human Resources in Sarasota County Schools covers a “history of negative interactions” between the teacher, Elizabeth Ballard, and a student, whose name is redacted.
Other parts of the document indicate two brothers from the same family are involved.
In October, 2024, Ballard reported that a male student announced something, unprompted, to her U.S. history class. It’s blacked out in the document.
“The girls in the room started arguing with him, and I told him abortion is not part of our curriculum and that we are not discussing the topic in class,” said a written statement by Ballard. It came up again, two minutes later, she said.
The HR report said Ballard then called the boy’s parents and had what she called a “productive discussion.” The boy’s father mentioned his son had been watching YouTube shorts and he thought the algorithm might have been recommending Andrew Tate clips, and that he’d monitor him more closely.
Ballard said the dad told her his son was a typical teen and didn’t listen to him, so Ballard asked if there was another male figure in his life, like a coach, they could reach out to for help. Ballard said the mother followed up later to thank her. Ballard added there was no indication they were unhappy with anything said in the call.
But the situation apparently got worse. A written statement by the teacher said the boy continued to make “inappropriate” comments in class and said he would “wipe the floor with any woman he fought.”
“I told him no more talk of Andrew Tate in class, and he blew up on me,” Ballard wrote. “He demanded to know if I had ever listened to Andrew Tate, and when I said 'no' he became loud and aggressive.”
At that point, Ballard emailed the student directly, and said she found some of his comments recently “disrespectful and offensive” and that she “would not tolerate misogyny in my class.”
She added in the HR report: “In hindsight, I wish I had written a referral and let the office handle it.”
The documents show Ballard spoke to other teachers, assistant principals and the student’s coach about the child’s behavior.
More documents show the boy’s parents withdrew him from Ballard’s class on November 4, 2024.
Another incident
The paperwork picks up again in January 2026, when the student repeatedly asked a substitute teacher across the hall from Ballard something, which again is redacted.
The sub reported she was confused by the question and that after a class a female student approached and told her it was sexual in nature.
Ballard became involved in the situation again, although the boy was not her student anymore. The HR report shows she texted a group chat of Pine View teachers, apparently asking about the comment, talked to the boy’s coach, and mentioned the incident in her ninth-grade class.
The HR investigation launched days later, in mid-January 2026, and by February, the administration wrote that Ballard “behaved in an unprofessional manner” and “continually engaged with the student's behavior on a level that could be interpreted by the parents as targeting the student.”
For her part, Ballard wrote that she felt she was being targeted.
“I am now at the point where I want nothing to do with this family. Being accused of targeting a student when I am following the Student Code of Conduct is very uncomfortable. I feel that I am being targeted by this family. I can't prevent students who heard what these two children have said from saying something to them,” Ballard wrote.
Asked for comment, school board member Tom Edwards said people must allow the process to play out.
“I take every concern involving students, parents, and educators seriously. This matter remains under review by the district and the state, and full due process has not yet occurred," Edwards said.
“Facts matter. Students, families, teachers, educators, and the broader Sarasota community deserve a process that is thorough, fair, and free from unnecessary political pressure.”
The investigation continues. The district said it will respond to Uthmeier by Oct. 1, as he requested.
