Community rallies around fired Brevard teacher Melissa Calhoun
By Danielle Prieur
April 23, 2025 at 6:30 AM EDT
More than 50 students, parents and advocates gathered at the Brevard County School Board meeting Tuesday to call for the renewal of teacher Melissa Calhoun’s contract.
Calhoun was fired after she used a student’s preferred name. Under the expanded Parental Rights in Education law, what some critics call the Don’t Say Gay law, Florida teachers can lose their jobs and their certifications for using a student’s preferred name or pronouns without parental permission.
Dozens of former and current Brevard County School students showed up to the rally, to call for the reinstatement of Calhoun.
Among them was BPS student Julia Cohen.
“Having good teachers is really important and really impactful,” said Brevard student Julia Cohen. “And not having good teachers also makes a big difference. If I have a bad math teacher, maybe I don't like math anymore. Maybe I was going to be a mathematician, I had one bad math teacher and it changed my whole life trajectory. So teachers really are important, and having teachers that inspire makes a difference.”
She said Calhoun was one of the good teachers.
Stickers at the rally read "I stand with Calhoun." (3024x4032, AR: 0.75)
Calhoun taught AP Literature, along with other English courses at Satellite High School. She was a teacher in the district for 12 years.
The board did not choose to reconsider their decision to fire Calhoun at Tuesday’s meeting, but protesters said they will be at every school board meeting until they do.
Zander Moricz coordinated the rally. He is the executive director of the SEE Alliance, a student-led advocacy group that fights for social equity in Florida.
“We're asking that this phenomenal teacher – who only showed a student basic respect – be allowed to continue to do what they do well, especially at a time where we're struggling to find teachers for our public schools,” said Moricz.
Zander Moricz of the SEE Alliance at the rally. (4032x3024, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
In a statement, the Florida Department of Education pointed to the law and said, “student name change decisions lay with parents, not educators or administrators.”
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and other Republicans who support the policy said it’s keeping parents informed about big changes in their children’s lives, like name changes, that might align with a student’s sexuality or gender identity.
But opponents of the policy, and of Calhoun’s firing, said it will make a statewide teacher shortage worse, and make schools even more unwelcoming places for gay and trans kids.
More than 50,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling for Calhoun to get her job back.
Watch the full BPS Board meeting here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLoHTJLcjZM
Calhoun was fired after she used a student’s preferred name. Under the expanded Parental Rights in Education law, what some critics call the Don’t Say Gay law, Florida teachers can lose their jobs and their certifications for using a student’s preferred name or pronouns without parental permission.
Dozens of former and current Brevard County School students showed up to the rally, to call for the reinstatement of Calhoun.
Among them was BPS student Julia Cohen.
“Having good teachers is really important and really impactful,” said Brevard student Julia Cohen. “And not having good teachers also makes a big difference. If I have a bad math teacher, maybe I don't like math anymore. Maybe I was going to be a mathematician, I had one bad math teacher and it changed my whole life trajectory. So teachers really are important, and having teachers that inspire makes a difference.”
She said Calhoun was one of the good teachers.
Stickers at the rally read "I stand with Calhoun." (3024x4032, AR: 0.75)
Calhoun taught AP Literature, along with other English courses at Satellite High School. She was a teacher in the district for 12 years.
The board did not choose to reconsider their decision to fire Calhoun at Tuesday’s meeting, but protesters said they will be at every school board meeting until they do.
Zander Moricz coordinated the rally. He is the executive director of the SEE Alliance, a student-led advocacy group that fights for social equity in Florida.
“We're asking that this phenomenal teacher – who only showed a student basic respect – be allowed to continue to do what they do well, especially at a time where we're struggling to find teachers for our public schools,” said Moricz.
Zander Moricz of the SEE Alliance at the rally. (4032x3024, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
In a statement, the Florida Department of Education pointed to the law and said, “student name change decisions lay with parents, not educators or administrators.”
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and other Republicans who support the policy said it’s keeping parents informed about big changes in their children’s lives, like name changes, that might align with a student’s sexuality or gender identity.
But opponents of the policy, and of Calhoun’s firing, said it will make a statewide teacher shortage worse, and make schools even more unwelcoming places for gay and trans kids.
More than 50,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling for Calhoun to get her job back.
Watch the full BPS Board meeting here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLoHTJLcjZM