BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – After a Brevard County teacher was found to have violated state law by calling a student by a “preferred name,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke with News 6 to give his two cents on the matter.
The school district announced earlier this month that the teacher — identified as Melissa Calhoun, who works at Satellite High School — would not have her contract renewed for next year after she called a student by the name they wanted to be called by, as opposed to the student’s legal name.
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Per district officials, Calhoun had used the preferred name without the parents’ consent, and once the parents came forward, an investigation into the matter kicked off.
“Based on the teacher’s own admission that she knowingly did not comply with state statute, she received a letter of reprimand,” the district said in a statement. “Teachers, like all employees, are expected to follow the law.”
A 2023 Florida law requires teachers to recognize students on the basis of their biological sex, leading the Florida State Board of Education to implement a rule requiring written parental consent for teachers to use names that are different from a student’s legal name.
The law was part of a bill package dubbed “Let Kids Be Kids," which was championed by DeSantis at the time.
“Florida is proud to lead the way in standing up for our children,” he said after signing the law. “As the world goes mad, Florida represents a refuge of sanity and a citadel of normalcy.”
On Wednesday, News 6 discussed the issue with DeSantis, who said that teachers should focus on teaching.
“Here’s the thing: our schools should be about education, not indoctrination. Some of these woke items don’t have a place in education.
And as a parent, if that’s something you believe in, obviously, you’re free to rear your kids. But most parents do not want to send their kid to elementary school and have them be taught things like ‘transgender’ and ‘gender fluidity.’ It’s just not appropriate. So I think Florida’s really stood on the side of parents.
Let’s make education the classical mission of what schools should do. It should be to educate, not indoctrinate. We’ve always gotta fight here and there with the school boards; I get that. But we’ve really set the standard.
And a lot of people have moved to Florida because they fled some of these schools and these other places. And I’m proud to say for two years in a row, U.S. News & World Report ranked Florida No. 1 in education."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
District officials, like Superintendent Mark Rendell said that these rules aim to strengthen relationships between schools and parents.
“The parent is our partner in this education endeavor that we have with our children. This law was actually put in place to make sure that the partnership was maintained,” he told News 6 earlier this week. “The classroom teachers look to the parent when they’re making decisions like that, and in this case, the teacher did not.”
But on the flipside, there has also been plenty of support drummed up for Calhoun, with some demonstrations being held in her defense.
“Ms. Calhoun is losing her job when she didn’t do anything violent or dangerous, and so I think the school board needs to get their (expletive) straight,” supporter Kylee Rassman argued.
Rendell also explained that the case has been referred to the state, which will determine whether Calhoun can keep her teaching certification.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the school district told News 6 that Calhoun has worked in the district for 11 years. Her current contract expires in May.
