The community at Murdock Middle School in Charlotte County is mourning the loss of Glenn Stewart, a beloved teacher who was shot and killed.
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office reported that Stewart was allegedly shot multiple times by his 25-year-old son, Melquan Stewart, on Monday.
Mason Martin, an eighth-grader, shared how Stewart made a lasting impact on students, even though he was not in Stewart's class.
"I would see him switching between classes. When I go to my classes, he is always there," said Martin.
He described Stewart as more than just an eighth-grade math teacher. Stewart was someone who stood in the doorway, ready to greet everyone with a smile.
"I always couldn't, like, I wanted to be in his class. I just never had him," Martin said. "He's super nice in general. He made he can make impacts on people's life."
Martin emphasized that Stewart was well-known and loved by everyone at the school.
"Everybody loved Mr. Stewart," said Martin.
The news of Stewart's death has deeply affected the school community. Martin shared that his friend, Jovan, took the loss particularly hard.
"To be honest, it's been weird three days," Martin said. "My friend Jovan, he took it really hard because Mr. Stewart was really nice."
For Martin, the lessons he learned from Stewart went beyond the classroom and started in the hallway.
"I've been in a couple of bad moods, and I've seen Mr. Stewart smiling, and it was anytime he'd say hi to me, he'd always be super energetic about it, and he's really nice," said Martin.
Martin expressed his hope for Stewart's family during this difficult time.
"I hope, plans out prayer like I said, prayer. To his family for it, hopefully they get through it. It's not something to get over. It's something I know. It's not easy," said Martin.
Dr. Alice Kane is the Interim Superintendent of the Freeport Union Free School District in New York. She spent four years as his supervisor and expressed sympathy for his death in a statement.
Glenn Stewart was a special education administrator in the Freeport public schools for 10 years. He was a vital part of the pupil personnel services team as the assistant director for special education. He worked with and was loved by students K through 12 and supported staff, including psychologists , social workers, speech therapists, and special education teachers. I had the pleasure of working with him as his supervisor for four years and as an indirect supervisor following my own promotion. Prior to becoming a special education administrator, Glenn was a bilingual psychologist. He utilized his background carefully and thoughtfully to provide the very best and most compassionate services for our students. He was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of humor and charm who was well liked and admired by all his colleagues and everyone who met him. Many of his colleagues in Freeport remained in touch with him and he will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with Glenn's family at this unthinkably difficult time.
WINK News has spoken to former colleagues and staff at Murdock Middle School, who echoed Martin's sentiments about Stewart's positive influence. The school district has not yet responded to requests for comment.
