Live updates: Community to rally for Satellite High teacher at Brevard school board meeting
Following nearly a month of public outcry in response to a high school teacher's contract not being renewed because she used a student's chosen name without parental consent, a protest in her support was scheduled to be held ahead of the May 6 Brevard school board meeting.
Brevard Public Schools opted not to renew the annual contract of Melissa Calhoun, an AP English teacher at Satellite High School, after the parent of a student reported that Calhoun was using their child's chosen name without parental consent, according to BPS Spokesperson Janet Murnaghan. Under a 2023 Florida Board of Education rule, educators must obtain parental permission before using any alternative to a student's legal name, whether that be a shortened form of their birth name or a chosen name associated with their gender identity. In this case, classmates and community members said the student — a 17-year-old who is also dual enrolled at Eastern Florida State College — went by a name related to their gender identity.
Neither the parent nor Calhoun, the first known Florida educator to lose her job due to the 2023 rule, have commented.
Protestors have gathered repeatedly in support of Calhoun, most recently at the April 22 school board meeting, where board member John Thomas made a motion to retrain Calhoun on the name rule and renew her contract. Every other member of the school board shot him down.
Protesters in support of Melissa Calhoun, an AP English teacher at Satellite High School, rallied outside before the April 22 school board meeting in Viera. Calhoun's contact was not renewed for the 2025-26 school year.
Since then, former school board member Jennifer Jenkins said at least two teachers have been investigated by the district in connection to Facebook comments they've made expressing support for students who wish to go by another name, though the context of the post on which they were commenting was not immediately known. Jenkins said teachers have been asked questions about whether or not they refer to students by their given names, display pride flags or keep banned books in their classrooms. She added that at least 24 students have been questioned about the two teachers' actions.
Murnaghan did not comment on whether or not students were questioned, but said any complaints made to the district are required to be investigated under Florida law.
"There are investigations across the district on a variety of topics," she said in an email to FLORIDA TODAY on May 2, adding that she could not release information about active investigations.
Protestors in support of Calhoun planned to gather at 4:30 p.m. ahead of the May 6 meeting, which was scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.
Check back for live updates beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at fwalker@floridatoday.com. X: @_finchwalker.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Protest for teacher to be held ahead of Brevard school board meeting
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Political fights put spotlight on leader of Washington's largest public employee union
Mike Yestramski, president of the Washington Federation of State Employees, could not get a meeting with Gov. Bob Ferguson so he "called" during a March protest in the governor's office. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero) Mike Yestramski has enjoyed a low profile through much of his six years leading Washington state's largest public sector union. Not anymore. His very public clashes with the governor during a contentious 2025 legislative session put a political spotlight on the president of the Washington Federation of State Employees. The union represents 54,000 state government, higher education and public service workers. Ferguson and Democratic state senators — longtime union allies — wanted to furlough workers and make them pay more for health care coverage. They also called for curtailing programs and closing Rainier School, a rehabilitation center in Pierce County for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, moves certain to trigger layoffs. Yestramski and legions of fellow union members turned out in force to oppose these moves. Clad in the union's green t-shirts, they rallied on the Capitol steps, demonstrated at the governor's office and patrolled the hallways outside the House and Senate chambers to pigeonhole lawmakers through the final hours of session. The muscular, pony-tailed labor leader was ubiquitous, rebellious and, in the end, victorious in some of the most pitched political battles of the session. And he didn't hold back with rhetorical slights against the new governor, calling Ferguson a 'pseudo Democrat' at rallies and 'Ratfink Robbie Ferguson' on Facebook. The swipes further brightened the exposure of the union's demands. Yestramski said in a recent interview in the union's Olympia headquarters that he prefers 'adult conversations' to resolve differences, though he realizes what occurred in the legislative session 'may have painted a slightly different impression.' But the gravity of the situation demanded a strong retort, he said. 'I generally believe that collaboration tends to be more successful than aggression,' he said. 'But that takes all of the parties involved to do that.' Yestramski, 45, was elected to a two-year term as federation president in 2019. Then 39, Yestramski said he was reportedly the federation's youngest ever president. Yestramski was reelected in 2021 and 2023. He plans to seek a fourth term this fall. He started his public service career as a homeless outreach social worker in Baltimore. He came to Washington in 2013, taking a job as a psychiatric social worker at Western State Hospital. An active union member, Yestramski said he pursued the leadership post because he was 'just getting really sick of seeing my friends and co-workers getting beat up, really, really bad.' 'People ended up in ICUs. People lost digits,' he said. Jobs at the hospital can still be dangerous, but Yestramski credited CEO Charlie Southerland for working collaboratively with the union to come up with solutions to bolster worker safety. The following interview was lightly edited for clarity and length. Have you had a chance to chat with or meet face-to-face with the governor? I have not. You've called him a few names. How do you feel about him now? While his rhetoric during the session I didn't love, he did ultimately sign the budget that funds our contracts and did not contain furloughs. As far as what he actually did, he didn't harm us, which was the fear based on statements that were coming out. For that, I'm thankful. You did say you felt scammed and that workers were lied to because Ferguson's proposals didn't align with his pledges to labor leaders in the 2024 campaign. Do you think WFSE members now feel they can trust him to have their backs? As a social worker — this is going to be related, I promise — the therapeutic school that I was brought up in was behaviorism. One of its basic tenets is, 'I don't really care what your motivations are, as long as you do the right thing.' To that end, whether it was genuinely in his heart or whether it was due to the political pressure of our members, whatever reason it was that got that outcome, the outcome is what was important. As far as our members trusting him, obviously, folks are going to be a little bit hesitant. This isn't just the governor. This is any elected official where we have to continue to make it known that we're paying attention, that we'll show up and that we have expectations of our elected officials. When we do that in large enough crowds, they listen and they do the right thing. In the end, did Ferguson do the right thing enough to secure the union's backing for reelection? That's three-and-a-half years away. In sports terms, there's going to be a lot more game film to review by the time that decision comes up. Enough time for a reconciliation? As far as he and I, personally, I can't say. My door is always open, even if it's to say I don't like you, right? I don't care if it's me. I believe the narrative got a little bit into a personal thing between me and Bob. I need to know that there are people in the governor's office that he will listen to, who can make sure that our main issues are being heard and addressed. Do you feel that way today? I feel that now more than I did two months ago. Would I like to have a better relationship with the governor? I don't want to be in a feud with our governor. You're probably not going to call him a 'ratfink' again. Probably not.
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bennett re-elected Mayor in Bramwell, Pike in Athens
BRAMWELL — Two incumbent mayors in Mercer County will return to office. In the town of Bramwell, incumbent Mayor Grant Bennett overcame a challenge from two people Tuesday, including the former mayor, and was re-elected, according to unofficial returns. Bennet, who will begin his second-term as mayor, won with 71 votes. He was challenged by Rodney Holcomb who garnered 41 votes and by former Mayor Louise Stoker, who received 28 votes. 'It will be my second term. I am pleased with the results and I'm looking forward to another two years of trying to do some good work in the town,' Bennett said. Bennett, a retired member of the U.S. Air Force who is originally from Chattanooga, Tenn., said he didn't anticipate any major changes for the town over the next two years. However, one item he said that may be looked at is moving away from two-year terms for council to staggered four-year terms. 'I am pleased with the direction,' Bennett said. 'I don't foresee any changes. We hope to manage what we've got and improve it.' Bennett said tourism has been an important part of Bramwell for decades now. The town, which is known as the 'Home of the Millionaires,' gained fame for having the highest number of millionaires per capita in the United States during the late 1800s, with as many as 13 residing in the town during the early 20th century, according to the town's history. The annual tour of the homes of the millionaires continues to this very day. However, in more recent years, the town has been associated with the region's ATV tourism engine and serves as the local trailhead of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail system. The results of two other contested races in the town were razor thin, and their final outcome could hinge upon the canvassing and certification of votes, which are set for June 16 and June 18. In the race for recorder, Lathe Ellis received 61 votes and Susan Lance Troutner garnered 60 votes. In the race for town council, five candidates were vying for eight seats on town council with one race being separated by two votes. The apparent winners in unofficial returns were newcomer Sharon Workman, 102 votes; incumbent Jackie Shahan, 81 votes; newcomer Don Thompson, 76 votes; incumbent Dennis Marcello, 65 votes; and newcomer Elizabeth Brown Tillery, 62 votes. Close behind at 60 votes was incumbent Kelley Murphy Eller. Incumbent Charles Hawthorne had 57 votes; and Perry Love garnered 21 votes. The election results were posted on the town of Bramwell's Facebook page and were confirmed Wednesday to the Daily Telegraph by Bramwell Town Clerk Crystal Bralley. In the town of Athens, the races in Tuesday's election were uncontested. Incumbent Athens Mayor Timothy Peak ran unopposed and was re-elected with 29 votes, according to the unofficial returns. Two seats were up on the Athens Town Council and the winners were Travis Pace, 21 votes and James Blankenship, 27 votes. The election results will be canvassed on Tuesday, June 17, according to Athens Town Clerk Debra Shorter. Shorter said the candidates will be sworn in during the first council meeting in July. The town of Athens is home to Concord University. Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Motion for detention officers' pay raise fails
Lee County Commissioner Samantha Martin's attempt to find funding to raise the pay grade of detention officers fell short Monday at a workshop on the proposed 2025-26 budget. The vote came after Sheriff Brian Estes addressed the board on the needs of the Sheriff's Office to help with the county's growing population. A primary area of concern, he said, is the salaries for detention officers. They are paid less than road deputies but face similar, if not more harmful conditions, Estes said. He asked for two more detention officers, but the positions were not funded. Estes also asked commissioners to consider moving detention officer positions two grades up on the county's pay scale. That would put their salaries one step below those of deputies. It would cost $256,535 to make that move, Estes said. 'That's a move that will take the department in the right direction,' he said. 'With two pay grades, it would help to move people to different divisions, putting them one pay grade under deputies.' Martin asked if there was a way to find funds by looking at the budgets for departments. One area she suggested was the money set aside for travel. That pays the expenses for employees and commissioners when they attend educational and certification events. Some are local while others are out of state. 'We might consider tightening up the budget to find the money,' Martin said. She then made a motion to have County Manager Lisa Minter go through the budget again to find available money. Board Chairman Kirk Smith pointed out that the budget is to be adopted at the commissioners' Monday meeting. It must be completed by June 30, the end of the fiscal year. Martin's motion failed by a 5-2 vote. A discussion on increasing compensation pay for the Board of Education members was pulled from the agenda. The commissioners had asked school board member Eric Davidson to bring information regarding compensation pay in the region, but he did not attend Monday's meeting. On June 2, the commissioners voted to approve a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment for school board members, according to an email from county spokeswoman Hailey Hall. They rejected a motion to raise their salaries to the same as the county commissioners. Minter took time to address a post that appeared on Facebook last week questioning tax revenues for the county. 'It has been brought to my attention that School Board member Alan Rummel has made a statement in a Facebook post that the county has been underestimating tax revenues by $10 million annually,' she said reading from a memo issued the commissioners. Rummel, who was at the meeting, stood up and vehemently denied making the allegation. He did post on Facebook last week, but did not make a statement about the revenues. He cautioned residents about incorrect information that may be spread and encouraged them to call school board members to confirm the data. The confusion, Minter said, resulted from comparing revenue from governmental activities to those for the general funds.
