OCALA, Fla. – Florida’s Marion County school district is trying to fire a middle school teacher for harassing Future Farmers of America students by labeling them “murderers” and encouraging his science students to harass them and their advisor.

Horizon Academy placed 53-year-old science teacher Thomas Roger Allison Jr. on unpaid leave after a district investigation revealed he “engaged in a repeated, egregious pattern of mistreating, ridiculing, insulting, intimidating, embarrassing, bullying and abusing FFA students, crushing their dreams and causing them to feel that they must discontinue FFA activities to enjoy a peaceful school environment,” district superintendent Heidi Maier wrote to the school board recommending Allison’s termination.

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The letter alleges Allison told FFA students “when the animals’ throats are being slit, they are calling out your names, asking why you are not coming to save them” and other ridiculousness, the Ocala Star-Banner reports.

The findings stem from an investigation launched by Maier on March 28 to look into dozens of accusations from students, teachers and parents about Allison’s animal rights crusade at the school.

Investigators spent 10 days interviewing dozens of students and parents, and Maier outlined the findings in her recommendation for termination. The teacher, who is currently awaiting a hearing before the school board, contends he’s done nothing wrong and refuses to keep his animal rights agenda to himself, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

“I love working in Marion County and love my students,” said Allison, who has won recognition for helping to start the school’s aquaponics garden. “I will fight for my job.”

Horizon Academy’s FFA advisor told investigators the teacher “encourages his aquaponics students to disrespect the FFA students and herself when the aquaponics students are in her room.”

“Allison told students that he was obtaining his certification in agriculture so that he could take (the agriculture teacher’s) job to stop the animal projects,” according to the report. “This has upset and confused FFA students, who do not want their academics to suffer because of their involvement with animal projects.”

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The report also alleges the teacher purchased a lamb named Buddy from one FFA student at the Southeastern Youth Fair and chronicled in his personal blog how he gave it away to an animal sanctuary called Kindred Spirit.

Allison wrote “the lamb was happy that he was going to the sanctuary,” and Kindred Spirit also wrote about the incident on its website.

“A middle school teacher whose school was raising Buddy for auction couldn’t stand the thought of Buddy going to slaughter,” the website read. “The teacher did not only save Buddy’s life, but he is teaching kids one of the most important lessons in life: compassion.

“The school already has an amazing gardening program and Buddy’s friend (Allison) is working hard on ending the animal agriculture program so that no animals have to die.”

Maier wrote in the report that the student who raised Buddy “was very upset about what transpired because she is from a foreign country and had never raised a lamb before and (Allison’s) conduct took away the pride she felt at her accomplishment.”

Donna Lavery, the school’s agriculture teacher, told investigators “FFA students have come to her crying, stating that (Allison) has called them murderers.”

Another witness told investigators that “every child who has been actively involved in an animal project since (Allison) has come here has had a hard time in his class.”

“In sum, Allison created a harmful educational environment, which created animosity among students, parents, other teachers and members of the community,” according to the termination report. “Respondent additionally and intentionally exposed multiple students to unnecessary embarrassment in the presence of their peers.”