The Daily Populous Thursday April 10th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by clickorlando.com and submitted by Hrekires

SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. – Thousands are signing a petition to try to help a teacher get her job back at Satellite High School.

Brevard Public Schools said it isn’t renewing Melissa Calhoun’s contract for next year because she called a student by the name they wanted to be called by, not their legal name.

It might sound innocent, but Florida law says that for a teacher to call a student by their ‘preferred’ name, their parents have to give written permission, and in this case, the school district says that didn’t happen.

The Florida Legislature passed the law in 2023.

Kristine Staniec works at Calhoun’s school and stood up for her at Tuesday night’s school board meeting.

“The teacher made a difference in her classroom and in the lives of our students, including my own child. She deserved more than a quiet exit. She deserved fairness, context, and compassion,” the Satellite High media specialist said.

The district said Calhoun knew she wasn’t allowed to call the student by the preferred name but did so anyway.

“There was no harm, no threat to safety, no malicious intent, just a teacher trying to connect with a student,” Staniec said at the board meeting.

Now, a lot of Calhoun’s former students are trying to help her through the Change.org petition.

More than 5,000 supporters are calling for the district to reinstate Calhoun.

“She is irreplaceable, not only a good teacher, but significantly more importantly she is the kindest and most caring person I have ever met in my life,” one supporter commented.

A statement from the district says the student’s parents came forward, and that’s how this investigation started.

You can read the full statement from Chief Strategic Communications Officer Janet Murnaghan below.

Mister-Grumpy on April 10th, 2025 at 14:29 UTC »

My wife is a Florida teacher, she cannot call students named Samuel, "Sam". She cannot call students named Samantha, "Sam". She can't call someone named Robert, "Bobby", unless she has a signed note by the parents allowing it. No, I'm not joking.

She also teaches 8 non-verbal special needs students, that have so far cut her face several times, choked her (kindergarten), and given her several bloody lips. These are kindergarteners. Many don't even live in a house, they live in shelters, or in a vehicle. The schools have codewords for those students, and offer no help. My wife is the one that gives them the stability their lives lack, and her thanks is being given more and more non-verbal, no IEP (they have no special education plan) and that makes it near impossible to teach the OTHER 30 kids in her class. She's also forced to teach them all together. So while one kid is hitting another, another kid is ripping books, and another has now absconded, with no teacher's aide, she has to deal with all that at the same time.

Education in Florida is in real danger.

Waltzer64 on April 10th, 2025 at 14:24 UTC »

I remember a recent Townhall where a citizen called the chairperson "Madam Chairwoman" and the chair said "I would prefer you call me Mr. Chairman," and the citizen responded with "Per the resolution you just passed, I cannot be compelled to use your preferred pronouns, Madam Chairwoman."

Rare_Trouble_4630 on April 10th, 2025 at 14:15 UTC »

So does this apply to nicknames, or just trans kids?