State education board to hear from Brevard teacher ousted over use of student's chosen name

Nearly four months after Brevard Public Schools ousted a high school teacher who used a student's chosen name without parental permission, a state department of education committee will decide the fate of her teaching certification.

On July 30, the Florida Department of Education's Education Practices Commission — made up of community volunteers — is slated to hold a teacher hearing panel at 1:30 p.m. in Orlando, during which they'll decide whether Melissa Calhoun will be allowed to keep her certification.

Calhoun's certification is up for termination after an incident during which she said she unknowingly used a 17-year-old student's chosen name without parental permission, an action that violates a 2023 Florida Board of Education rule.

In March, prompted by a parent's complaint that Satellite High teachers were "grooming" their child to "transition and be gay," the district investigated several Satellite High teachers to find out if they had been using the then-senior's chosen name without parental permission, according to public records obtained from Brevard Public Schools. Calhoun said she had been teaching the student since before the 2023 rule went into effect and did not know they didn't have permission to go by that name. On the day she was informed the student did not have permission to use that name, she told the student she could no longer use it, according to records.

While district officials recommended only that Calhoun be reprimanded, Superintendent Mark Rendell opted not to renew her contract, issuing her a letter on April 1 informing her that she would not be returning for the 2025-2026 school year. That decision was ultimately backed by the majority of the school board, with only board member John Thomas calling for the board to reconsider at an April 22 meeting.

"This is not a case with a pending criminal charge," Thomas said. "This is not a case of moral corruption. And no student was harmed; no child was put at risk. This is the case of poor judgment, a mistake, and like all of us, even good teachers are capable of making them."

Calhoun is the first and only known educator to lose their job as a result of the 2023 rule. The rule says that students who wish to go by any alternative to their legal name, whether that be a shortened form of their given name or a name related to their gender identity, must obtain signed parental consent.

The district cited a lack of data regarding how cases like Calhoun's might be handled as to why the decision was made to not renew her contract.

"We do not have any historical data to guide us on a FLDOE response to this violation," Janet Murnaghan said in a May 15 email to FLORIDA TODAY. "We do not want to start the 2025-2026 school year with a teacher whose license may be revoked by the state, leaving us without a teacher midyear. Ms. Calhoun is welcome to apply to work at the district when the issue is resolved with the state."

What led to Calhoun's ousting?

A 128-page investigation from Brevard Public Schools detailed the steps the district took after a complaint was made in March regarding the use of preferred names at Satellite High School.

A student's parent — who FLORIDA TODAY is not naming for the privacy of the student — initially complained to Board Vice Chair Matt Susin about teachers using another name for her 17-year-old teen, who has since graduated from the school, according to the document. The information was relayed to school and district officials, who began an investigation into the student's teachers.

Over the next four days, only Calhoun admitted to using the teen's chosen name, though another teacher said the teen wrote their chosen name on the top of class assignments, according to records. Calhoun, who discontinued the use of the teen's chosen name immediately, said she had been using that name because she became the student's teacher prior to the passage of the 2023 Board of Education rule and was unaware the parents had not signed a form, calling it a "complete oversight." She added that no refreshers or updates had been provided regarding the rule since an initial faculty meeting following the rule's passage in 2023.

Ultimately, the district's investigation ended with a recommendation from human resources officials to reprimand Calhoun.

On April 1, when Rendell issued her letter of reprimand, he also notified her that her contract would not be renewed.

"We appreciate your service to our school system and wish you every success in your future endeavors," Rendell said in the letter. He did not reference the incident involving the use of the student's name, though since then, Murnaghan said it played a role in their decision.

The district reported Calhoun to the state on April 11, records show.

Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at fwalker@floridatoday.com. X: @_finchwalker. Instagram: @finchwalker_.