Florida teacher loses job for using student's chosen name in violation of state law

VIERA, Fla. — School district officials on Florida's Space Coast aren't renewing the contract of a teacher who used a student's chosen name without getting permission from the student's parents in violation of Florida law.

Dozens of students and parents showed up in support of teacher Melissa Calhoun at a Brevard Public Schools board meeting Tuesday night, demanding that her contract as an English teacher at Satellite High School be renewed. The 17-year-old student chose the preferred name to reflect the student’s gender identity and the teacher only was acting out of compassion, according to the supporters.

Calhoun knowingly defied the law signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023 which requires parental consent to use an alternative to a student's legal name, according to Janet Murnaghan, a spokeswoman for the Brevard Public Schools.

Schools superintendent Mark Rendell told television station WKMG that parental input can't be ignored.

“The parent is our partner in this education endeavor that we have with our children," Rendell said. “This law was actually put in place to make sure that partnership was maintained.”