The Central High instructor has been on unpaid suspension since students found a loaded gun in his truck.
By ABHI RAGHUNATHAN
Published November 15, 2005
BROOKSVILLE - Fixing the leaking air conditioner in social studies teacher Michael Ellison's pickup seemed like a routine task for students in Central High School's auto shop.
They began emptying the glove box because they would have to remove it to make the repairs.
That's when they discovered something strange - a rag wrapped around a metal object.
It was a loaded handgun.
The students called over their instructor, who confiscated the glove box and notified the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.
Soon after the incident in September, Ellison, 57, was suspended. Superintendent Wendy Tellone has recommended his termination for violating district policies that forbid guns on school grounds. The Sheriff's Office also was investigating.
Because Ellison has requested a hearing on the termination recommendation, the School Board at its meeting this afternoon will probably transfer his case to the state Division of Administrative Hearings. Until an administrative law judge rules on the case, Ellison will remain suspended without pay.
Ellison said Monday that he could not comment on the matter because his attorney had advised him not to talk. State records do not show that he has a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
But in a September letter to district officials, Ellison said he had left the pistol in his truck out of carelessness.
"I'd forgotten it was there," he wrote. "I can't remember the last time I saw it. ... I had no malice or intent. I made a mistake."
Ellison has worked in the county's schools since 1980. Before arriving at Central several years ago, he taught social studies at Parrott Middle School.
--Times researcher Carolyn Edds contributed to this report. Abhi Raghunathan can be reached at 352 848-1431 or araghunathan@sptimes.com
