BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – The Brevard County high school teacher who was essentially fired by the district because she used a student’s preferred name without parental permission won an arbitration in the case.
Talking to News 6 on Friday, Melissa Calhoun called the decision a win for all teachers, even though BPS still has no plans on rehiring her.
“Getting to teach students, it makes me miss the classroom every single day,” Calhoun said. “Because I really did love teaching more than anything.”
Last April, Calhoun, who taught at Satellite High School, was notified that the school district was not renewing her contract.
[WATCH: Protests grow for Florida teacher who lost job after using student’s ‘preferred’ name]
The district said it had learned Calhoun was using a student’s preferred name without parental permission — a violation of a Florida law signed in 2023, which says that parents need to provide schools with a child’s preferred name in order for staff to use it, even if it’s a nickname. Otherwise, staff must call students by the names in their files.
The school district’s decision led to student protests and heated school board meetings.
Calhoun, who taught for 12 years, was consistently rated a highly-effective teacher.
[WATCH: Documents reveal extent of behavior in Brevard County teacher investigation]
However, documents show Calhoun was aware of the law when she used a transgender student’s preferred female name, not their legal name. However, she said she did not know the student didn’t have the parents’ permission, she had no political intent, and never spoke to the student about transitioning.
The student’s parents complained, leading to the investigation.
[WATCH: Lisa Bell sits down with Brevard Public Schools superintendent]
The school superintendent said Calhoun violated the law, and Gov. Ron DeSantis weighed in, decrying woke ideology being taught in schools.
However, in August, the Florida Board of Education let Calhoun keep her teaching license, accepting a settlement that included a letter of reprimand, a fine and one year of probation.
Meanwhile, the Brevard County teachers’ union took the district to arbitration over the case, and this month the arbitrator ruled Calhoun may have been incorrectly punished.
“You know, there was a win in the arbitration,” Calhoun said. “It was a win for accountability. The arbitrator ruled that the district needs to rescind my formal letter of reprimand, which is really positive.”
However, the arbitrator stopped short of saying the district should give Calhoun her job back, which the district will not do.
In a statement, the district said, in part:
“This was not simply a nickname or a casual classroom interaction. It was the repeated use of a male name for a female student - a clear participation in a student’s social gender transition without the required parental consent.”
For now, though, Calhoun has no plans on leaving the county to find a public school job elsewhere.
“I mean, the reality too, for me is I do have two small children who, you know, this is their community as much as it is mine,” Calhoun said. “You know, I grew up here, so I have family here. My husband’s job is here. So we’re very much committed to Brevard County.”
There is another teacher at Satellite High School who is under investigation for the same situation. So far, no action has been taken.