‘It is unfair that teachers work in a district where they can’t respect their students by simply calling them what they preferred to be called,’ said Parsons, who purposely wore blue, Calhoun’s favorite color. ‘It’s unacceptable that teachers have to face such dramatic consequences.’

For Immediate Release: Brevard Community Hosts “Stand with Calhoun Rally” Ahead of Key School Board Vote

“A Florida community is outraged after a veteran high school teacher was fired for calling a student by their preferred name rather than their legal name.

Interview with Brevard County parent and activist Amy Roub, about Ms. Calhoun’s dismissal. The interview starts at 9:15 into the podcast. (CBC Listen, 4/14/2025)

In the wake of a Brevard teacher losing her job as a result of using a student’s preferred name without parental consent, questions have arisen about what the Florida law actually says.

A Florida teacher was fired by a school district after she called a pupil by their preferred name without getting permission from their parents.

Melissa Calhoun, a public school teacher in Florida, has been informed that her contract will not be renewed after she used a student’s chosen name without parental consent.

A Florida teacher has been fired after calling a student by their preferred name instead of their legal one

Brevard County Public Schools quietly dismissed Melissa Calhoun, an AP Literature teacher at Satellite High School in Satellite Beach, Florida, largely behind closed doors. Her crime: calling a supposedly trans student by their name.

Melissa Calhoun was fired after calling a student a preferred name and did not follow Florida’s “Parental Authorization for Deviation from Student’s Legal Name Form” law