Florida teacher's contract not renewed after using student's preferred name

Yahoo

10-04-2025

MELBOURNE, Fla. (WFLA) — A central Florida school teacher won't be returning to the classroom next year after she was accused of using a student's preferred name instead of their legal name.
As part of the 2022 Parental Rights in Education Act (referred to by critics as the 'Don't Say Gay' law), teachers who use a student's preferred pronouns or name – even just a nickname – without parental permission could lose their jobs and even their teaching certifications.
'Welcome to Florida': Sheriff confronts woman accused of stealing $52K in Facebook Marketplace scheme
In a statement obtained by NBC affiliate WESH, Brevard Public Schools (BPS) said the student's parent reached out to them about the situation.
'This directly violates state law and the district's standardized process for written parental consent,' the BPS statement read. 'BPS supports parents' rights to be the primary decision-makers in their children's lives, and Florida law affirms their right to be informed.'
BPS officials said the district conducted an investigation which, since the teacher reportedly admitted to using the student's preferred name, resulted in a letter of reprimand. The district will not be renewing her contract this summer because the state is reviewing her teaching certification.
'Since the state will be reviewing her teaching certificate based on these actions, the district decided not to renew the annual contract until the issue is resolved with the state,' BPS said. 'At BPS our focus is on education — teachers are here to teach and support students academically. Our job is to work in partnership with parents and guardians to ensure student success.'
A woman, who identified herself as the teacher's colleague and the parent of a Brevard student, told the school board she found the decision to not renew the teacher's contract deeply concerning.
'There was no harm, no threat to safety, no malicious intent,' she said. 'Just a teacher trying to connect with a student, and for that, her contract was not renewed despite her strong dedication and years of service. I ask you, how can we justify this?'
WESH reported that her comments were met with applause from the audience.
Rep. Randy Fine, who sponsored the bill as a state representative, said the school district is simply following the law.
'I don't have the details,' Fine told WESH. 'But if a teacher was referring to a student by a name different than what the parents desire and it rose to the level that the parent complained about it, then that teacher is breaking the law. And we do not want lawbreakers teaching our children.'
WESH reached out to the teachers' union, which declined to comment, and the accused educator, who did not respond to their inquiries.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.