J.W. Mitchell High School social studies teacher Robert Konrad no longer wants to be identified as a male.
Parents, students and teachers learned the news this week.
The school district sent the following letter to home parents announcing his decision;
"Today an announcement is being made regarding your child’s social studies teacher, Mr. Konrad. Mr. Konrad has begun the process of gender transition and is anticipating presenting as a female no later than August of 2015. As you can imagine, this is a very private decision, but Mr. Konrad has indicated that he will respond to appropriate questions you may have about the transition process. While most of you will choose to discuss this sensitive issue as a family, the school guidance counselors are also available to meet with your child as needed to address any additional questions they may have about gender issues. In order to minimize any disruption to the school day, we ask that all instructional time remain uninterrupted. Mr. Konrad’s gender change will not affect his teaching and we fully support the District’s policy of providing a respectful environment for all students and staff members. We appreciate your continued commitment to maintain focus on our primary mission of delivering a quality education."
Konrad, 30, has been a teacher at Mitchell since 2010. His wife works at the school as well, according to our partner newspaper, the Tampa Bay Times.