Wearing a blue shirt and surrounded by classmates, Emilia Parsons, 16, spoke to a crowd of about 60 people gathered April 18 to show support for a Satellite High School teacher who is losing her job because she called a student by their preferred name.
“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.”
AP English teacher Melissa Calhoun gained national attention when it became known that Brevard Public Schools would not renew her contract when it expires in May. The reason given by the district is that Calhoun, a more than 12 year district employee, called a student by their preferred name without obtaining parental consent as mandated by the “Parental Authorization for Deviation from Student’s Legal Name Form.” A 2023 rule from the state board of education lays out how to enforce a section regarding pronouns and names from House Bill 1069.
The law applies to any deviation from a student’s legal name, whether that be a name used because of a student’s transgender identity or a shortened form of a given name.
Community members believed this is a case related to the student’s gender identity.
The 2023 rule says Florida districts must develop a form for parents to sign indicating whether or not they consent to the use of an alternative name for their child.
Satellite High teacher Calhoun focused on students
About 60 people gathered April 18, 2025 afternoon near Satellite High School to show support for teacher Melissa Calhoun. The AP English teacher won’t have her contract renewed because she knowingly called a student by their preferred name despite the student’s parents not filling out proper paperwork.
Calhoun was not at the rally, which was held down the street from the school she teaches at. She has laid low since word got out about her employment status, however, those in contact with her said she appreciated the support.
“She is focused on her students,” said Amy Roub, one of the organizers of the April 18th rally. “She wants to make sure they do well on their finals.”
For about one hour April 18th, dozens of parents and students stood on a corner about one mile from Satellite High School following dismissal. Many wore blue, Calhoun’s favorite color, wore round blue and white stickers that read, “I stand with Calhoun,” and waved signs at honking vehicles passing by.
Former school board member Jennifer Jenkins showed up to show her support. She said she felt obligated to attend as an educator, mom in the community and wife of a teacher who attended Satellite High
“If we just sit back and let things like this happen, then an incredible teacher who has impacted so many lives over the years is going to get pushed out of teaching because of political propaganda, and it’s going to happen across the state and unfortunately bleed over state lines,” Jenkins said. “This is bigger than Mrs. Calhoun. The entire nation is watching us.”
The group plans to gather for another rally April 22 at 4:30 p.m. before the school board meeting, which begins at 5:30 p.m.
Brevard Public Schools school board member responds with email
Those emailing school board member Kayte Campbell have been getting the same email response “due to the high volume of emails we have received on this topic.” She went on to apologize and said her responses are usually more personal.
Her email also makes note that she wanted to be thorough because details “may have been missing in the stories that have circulated in the media and social media.
“This is not a simple case of someone named Madison wanting to go by Maddie, for example, or a Nicholas wanting to go by Nic,” the email read. “There is no policy, rule or law against the use of preferred names or nicknames. The rule – that has now been around for two school years – was implemented to ensure communication with parents.”
If a student wants to be called by a name other than his or her legal name, the student’s guardian needs to fill out appropriate paperwork. If a teacher notices a student wants to use a different name, “the recourse is to reach out to the parent and see if they would like to fill out the form and add the name.”
“Our teachers were trained on this rule and procedure, and this was not a one-off situation,” Campbell said in her email. “Ms. Calhoun admitted to repeatedly using a name of which the parents were not informed.”
The email also stated Superintendent Mark Rendell who “has the responsibility for staffing decisions, decided not to renew, so the teacher’s name will not come before the board for a vote.”
Campbell did write that Calhoun “could apply for a position in another district, or perhaps even in Brevard in the future. However, this district will be waiting for the state department of education to make a determination on her teaching certificate based on her actions first.”
Education Reporter Finch Walker contributed to this report.
Spitzer is a Trending Reporter. She can be reached at MSpitzer@Floridatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard teacher whose contract isn’t being renewed focused on students