Overlea High Students Protest Teacher’s ICE Comments, Demand Action
Outrage grows at Overlea High as students demand accountability after teacher's posts linked him to immigration enforcement.
BALTIMORE — Baltimore County Public Schools has suspended Dustin Renner, a social studies teacher at Overlea High School after his posts on social media suggested he was willing to assist ICE in targeting students, according to multiple sources at the school.
Posts under the username "RennerTraining" on X (formerly Twitter) appear to offer help to ICE, including providing the names of students legally excused from school to participate in a "Day Without Immigrants" protest. One post from February 3 reads, "Was just sent a list of students who are allowed to legally skip today in support of illegals as most are illegal. Do I contact ICE or let it slide?"
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Other posts from the now-deleted or private account tagged ICE directly, offering to share the names of students for potential immigration enforcement actions, saying, "If you want the names to investigate families to find illegals, let me know in dm [direct message]. I’ll give names and school. All in Md."
In response to the controversy, school principal Dr. Monica Sample sent a letter to the community expressing concern over the "unsettling social media post — allegedly from an Overlea High School teacher — directed at a group of Overlea High School students." She emphasized that the statements did not align with the school's values or the district's expectations for staff.
Dr. Sample also addressed the students directly in a statement over the school’s intercom system, the audio of which was obtained by Migrant Insider—
Overlea students told us they were not satisfied with Dr. Sample’s comment, which stopped short of confirming Renner’s removal from the classroom. As a result, they protested in solidarity with migrant students.
The student protesters can be heard saying “Free Mexicans!” and “We will not be silent!”—a refrain on Dr. Sample’s announcement over the intercom—in videos posted to X and TikTok. The protest resulted in multiple suspensions of students, according to the students, who say Dr. Sample threatened to take away their prom if they didn’t stop protesting.
“This isn't the first incident. He was a history teacher a while ago when he got reported for saying things the school administration didn’t like and was forced to teach something else,” one student told Migrant Insider about Renner.
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"He was already controversial as a teacher, but we just let it slide because we thought he was being honest, like an honest person," Overlea alum Austin Mendez told CBS News.
"He had a Prager University poster in his classroom and was always blaming Biden for things but never criticized Trump," a former student of Renner’s told us.
Multiple school sources tell us that Renner was surprised when he arrived at work on Friday morning and was escorted from the building. “There’s currently a substitute in place of him,” said one of his students. It’s unclear whether Renner’s suspension is with or without pay. A union representative did not immediately respond to an email request for comment.
Renner’s future at Overlea remains uncertain, a source of anxiety for students at the school. The situation, sparked by his controversial social media posts, will be addressed at the Baltimore County Public School Board meeting on Tuesday, which is expected to be well attended by concerned students and parents.
“I don’t want my son anywhere near that man,” said a parent of an Overlea student, who spoke with us on the condition of anonymity. “He said he wants to use children as bait for the feds to get their parents, which is just unconscionable,” they continued.
Migrant Insider reached out to Maryland Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, as well as Rep. Johnny Olszewski, the freshman representing the district where the incident took place. None of the lawmakers have provided comment yet.
If you are a student or staff member at Overlea High School, or with the teachers’ union, we’d love to hear from you about Renner and the situation surrounding his ongoing employment with the school district. Send your tips to editor@migrantinsider.com. We will protect your identity.
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