According to a Florida school system, a teacher who violated state law by using a student’s preferred name instead of their legal name without parental consent would not have their contract renewed.
Melissa Calhoun teaches literature at Satellite High School in Satellite Beach, Florida, a seaside city. Her LinkedIn page states that she has spent the last 12 years employed for the Brevard County Public Schools district.
Calhoun, who did not immediately respond to demands for comment, may be among the first teachers fired under Florida’s Parental Rights in Education statute, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, unless the state steps in.
According to a statement released by district spokesperson Janet R. Murnaghan, Brevard County Public Schools opened an investigation after a parent complained that Calhoun had used a name different than their child’s legal name without their consent.
“This directly violates state law and the district’s standardized process for written parental consent,” according to the statement. “Based on the teacher’s own admission that she knowingly did not comply with state statute she received a letter of reprimand. Teachers, like all employees, are expected to follow the law.”
The district stated that it will not extend Calhoun’s yearly contract, which ends in May, until the matter is settled because the state will be examining her teaching certificate in light of the allegation.
According to WESH, dozens of students peacefully demonstrated Thursday against the district’s decision to not extend Calhoun’s contract.
“We’re here to really show support for Ms. Calhoun and to show that we are not OK with what is going on,” sophomore Brianna Knight stated. “We truly are upset that we are losing such a positive teacher.”
Additionally, Calhoun’s supporters launched a petition to restore her with the Brevard County School Board. It received almost 22,000 signatures as of Friday afternoon.
In March 2022, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education law.
In kindergarten through third grade, it forbade “classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity” “or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
He signed an amended version of the bill a year later, which forbids teaching sexual orientation or gender identity in prekindergarten through eighth grade, limits the teaching of reproductive health in sixth through twelfth grade, and forbids schools from requiring students or staff to use pronouns that do not correspond to the sex they were assigned at birth.
Among other things, it forbids transgender school staff from disclosing their pronouns to students.
The Florida Board of Education enacted new regulations in July 2023, just months after DeSantis signed the expanded measure, to make sure schools were abiding by the law and to “strengthen and enhance the safety and welfare of students in K-12 public schools and protect parental rights.”
One of those regulations required school districts to obtain consent from parents before staff members may refer to a kid by a name other than their legal name, including a nickname, even if the student requested it.
Several parents voiced their opinions at a school board meeting this week, supporting and opposing the district’s decision to not extend Calhoun’s contract.
During the meeting, a parent of a district student who claimed to be one of Calhoun’s coworkers stated, “There was no harm, no threat to safety, no malicious intent. Just a teacher trying to connect with a student, and for that, her contract was not renewed despite her strong dedication and years of service. I ask you, how can we justify this?”
During the meeting, Katye Campbell, a member of the school board, stated that although some may find the rule “silly,” it is crucial.
Source: NBC News
