Florida teacher loses job for using student’s chosen name in violation of state law

VIERA Fla AP School district administrators on Florida s Space Coast aren t renewing the contract of a professor who used a aspirant s chosen name without getting permission from the pupil s parents in violation of Florida law Dozens of students and parents exhibited up in patronage of instructor Melissa Calhoun at a Brevard Citizens Schools board meeting Tuesday night demanding that her contract as an English tutor at Satellite High School be renewed The -year-old participant chose the preferred name to reflect the participant s gender identity and the instructor only was acting out of compassion according to the supporters Calhoun knowingly defied the law signed by Republican Gov Ron DeSantis in which requires parental consent to use an alternative to a scholar s legal name according to Janet Murnaghan a spokeswoman for the Brevard Residents Schools Schools superintendent Mark Rendell notified television station WKMG that parental input can t be ignored The parent is our partner in this coaching endeavor that we have with our children Rendell announced This law was certainly put in place to make sure that partnership was maintained