BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Tensions ran high at a Brevard County School Board meeting Tuesday night as dozens of community members showed up in support of a Satellite High School teacher whose contract is not being renewed after she admitted to calling a student by a name other than their legal name without parental consent.
Although the issue was not on the agenda, the meeting was dominated by public comments about teacher Melissa Calhoun. Supporters packed the room, leading the board to recess multiple times due to crowd response.
“To the student involved in all of this, you are respected. This is not your fault,” one speaker said during the public comment portion. “You are not wrong for being affirmed.”
A protest was also held outside the school board chambers before the meeting began.
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The Brevard Public Schools superintendent said Tuesday to News 6 that Calhoun admitted to addressing a student using a name that differs from their birth name, in violation of state regulations requiring parental consent for the use of preferred names or nicknames. The Florida Department of Education implemented the rule in 2023.
The district has cited this policy as the reason for not renewing Calhoun’s contract.
“What brings me here is support for Ms. Calhoun,” said Paul Roub, a parent who attended the meeting. “We have a wonderful teacher who was helping her student feel comfortable and appreciated so they can learn.”
Not everyone shared that view. One speaker argued in favor of the board’s decision, raising concerns about gender affirmation and parental rights.
Board member John Thomas made a motion during the meeting asking the superintendent to reconsider the decision, but the motion failed in a 4-1 vote.
