Board meeting gets heated as supporters rally for BPS teacher who used student’s preferred name

3 months ago 36

Board members with Brevard Public Schools stood by their determination to not renew a precocious schoolhouse teacher’s declaration aft she called a pupil by their preferred sanction without parents’ permission.

Parents, teachers, and respective students showed up Tuesday nighttime to talk successful enactment of teacher Melissa Calhoun.

A Satellite HS teacher's declaration won't beryllium renewed aft territory officials said she called a pupil by their preferred sanction without parents' permission.

During a tense meeting, the committee took a recess 2 times aft telling radical making nationalist comments to enactment connected topic. One genitor was astir escorted out.

It was a batch of backmost and distant betwixt parents and BPS committee members.

“We’re each connected to you,” said 1 parent.

“It’s not comic Matt,” 1 genitor could beryllium heard yelling from the crowd. “It’s not funny. You guys are an embarrassment. You’re an embarrassment. Try not to beryllium truthful constrictive minded. Give it your all,” 1 parent said.

A country afloat of radical supported existent teacher Melissa Calhoun.

Calhoun is simply a teacher astatine Satellite Beach High School.

Many had signs and adjacent wore stickers lasting successful solidarity with the Satellite High School teacher. Many argued she abided by students’ rights.

“Students person not lone a close to an education, but the rights arsenic citizenship arsenic well. These rights are afforded to students for thing arsenic elemental arsenic immoderate sanction they take to beryllium called,” 1 genitor said to the board.

WFTV reported earlier this period the territory superintendent decided not to renew Calhoun’s declaration aft learning she called a pupil by a sanction different than their ineligible name, without parents’ support -- a usurpation of Florida law. But respective parents argued the teacher was doing her occupation with compassion, and considering her student’s rights.

“Do the close thing. Reappoint the radical who should beryllium reappointed,” 1 genitor told the board.

The voices successful enactment of Calhoun were large and evident. But determination was 1 successful the assemblage connected the board’s broadside that was met with disgust.

At slightest 1 idiosyncratic spoke successful favour of the district's determination regarding Calhoun's contract.

“Teachers are liable for academia and bash not person the nonrecreational grooming they request to marque those calls,” different acrophobic ma said.

One genitor who was astir escorted retired said it’s unfair that a BPS teacher was allowed backmost successful the schoolroom aft being arrested, accused of being drunk astatine a enactment with astir 200 students. Recently released video showed that teacher, Karly Anderson, and her enactment with Cocoa Police.

“She’s being paid to beryllium astatine location portion the different teacher has to interest astir wherever is she going to go. And each she did was telephone a pupil by their preferred name,” said Sharon Shear.

People supporting Calhoun hoped their voices would beryllium heard and that the territory would reconsider renewing her contract. But committee members connected Tuesday nighttime voted to instrumentality with the superintendent’s decision.