Second Satellite teacher’s license in jeopardy over student name case →
A Satellite High teacher could see her license suspended by the Florida Department of Education in connection with the case of a student using a preferred name in class, a situation which cost one Brevard teacher her job earlier this year.
Brevard school board members call out teacher union over ousted teacher →
Support from Brevard’s teacher union for an ousted educator — and criticism of Superintendent Mark Rendell’s decision not to rehire her — prompted blowback from school board members at the Sept. 23 meeting in Viera.
Brevard teacher ousted over use of chosen name barred from volunteering →
A former Brevard teacher ousted earlier this year over her use of a then-17-year-old’s chosen name without parental permission was barred from helping students with their college essays on a volunteer basis
Opinion: Shoddy treatment of teacher won’t destroy love of learning, truth →
Will somebody with clout please tell the autocrats who run our state and public schools that children are human beings with civil rights? I doubt if there is a teacher anywhere who doesn’t intuitively call the student the name they request, the name they write on their assignments, the name that their friends call them. It simply establishes rapport with the student. Punishing Ms. Melissa Calhoun for her delayed response to a repressive rule threatens all students and teachers, undermines their dignity and self-worth and defies the spirit of our liberal democracy.
State education commissioner: Ousted Brevard teacher deserves suspension →
Less than a month following a Florida Department of Education committee’s decision to uphold a Brevard teacher’s education credentials after she used a student’s chosen name without parental permission, the Florida Commissioner of Education emphasized that he believed she deserved a suspension.
YouTube: Former Brevard teacher disciplined for chosen name use speaks out →
Former Satellite High AP English teacher Melissa Calhoun talks about the events from complaint to reprimand regarding her use of a student’s chosen name based on gender identity rather than the student’s legal name.
Florida Today: ‘Taken aback’: Brevard teacher ousted in student name issue speaks out →
Former Brevard County teacher Melissa Calhoun speaks exclusively with FLORIDA TODAY regarding events following the use of a student’s chosen name
Photos: Crowd shows support for ousted Brevard teacher at board meeting →
Photos: Crowd shows support for ousted Brevard teacher at board meeting
WESH: Brevard County community rallies for dismissed teacher →
The Brevard County community showed strong support for former teacher Melissa Calhoun at a school board meeting on Tuesday after her dismissal for using a student’s preferred name without parental consent, a requirement under new Florida law.
Florida Today: Ousted teacher calls on Brevard Schools to ‘commit to transparency’ →
Tuesday also marked the first meeting since Superintendent Mark Rendell announced that he would not consider rehiring Melissa Calhoun, a teacher whose contract was not renewed after a spring investigation by the district revealed she had used a then-senior’s chosen name without parental permission, an action in violation of a 2023 Florida Board of Education rule. A Florida Department of Education committee approved a settlement with Calhoun at the end of July, the stipulations of which placed her on a 12-month probation. Her probation does not begin until she obtains a teaching position.