A Florida teacher at an arts magnet school is out of a job after addressing a student by a name they wished to be called. Per ClickOrlando.com, Brevard Public Schools says it won't be renewing a contract next year for Melissa Calhoun, an educator at Satellite High School in Satellite Beach, after discovering Calhoun called said student not by their legal name, but by one of their own preference.
- Florida law: The issue, according to the district, which began an investigation after the student's family complained, is that Calhoun violated a Florida law that bars teachers from calling students by a "preferred personal title or pronouns" that don't sync with the gender they were listed as at birth, unless they have explicit written permission from a student's parents. The Washington Post reports that the Florida rule also applies to students who want to use a nickname, not just those affected by a change in gender identity.
- A national first? The Post notes that although more than a dozen states have similar rules on the books, it's the first known firing as a result of such statutes, the result of a right-wing push in the Sunshine State and elsewhere to refuse to recognize alternative gender identities. A source tells the paper that Calhoun "was respecting the wishes of a student whose legal name is associated with girls."
- School district's take: "BPS supports parents' rights to be the primary decision-makers in their children's lives, and Florida law affirms their right to be informed," the school district said in a statement, stating that Calhoun, who has worked in the district for more than a decade, admitted she "knowingly did not comply with state statute," per ClickOrlando.com. "Teachers, like all employees, are expected to follow the law."
- Support for Calhoun: Supporters spoke up on Calhoun's behalf at a recent school board meeting, and a petition now circulating to see Calhoun reinstated had nearly 20,000 signatures as of Friday morning. "Ms. Calhoun is being punished merely for showing respect to a student's choices," the petition reads. "She was reprimanded for referring to a student by the name they prefer rather than their official name—a direct blow to personal rights and respect." The petition adds, "Every child deserves to be educated in an environment where they feel respected and valued. Teachers like Ms. Calhoun, who understand and act on this principle, are essential to create such an environment."
As of now, Calhoun is being permitted to finish out the school year. (More
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