Florida
Florida teacher’s job status on hold for using student’s “preferred name”
A teacher in Florida has been told she won’t have her contract extended “until the issue is resolved with the state” after she referred to a child be their preferred name, rather than legal their legal name, without parental consent.
In response, more than 10,000 people have signed a petition calling for Melissa Calhoun, a teacher with more than a decade of experience, to keep her job at Satellite High School.
Newsweek contacted Satellite High School via email and Brevard Public Schools by phone for comment on Thursday.
Why It Matters
In July 2023, the Florida Legislature passed House Bill 1069, aimed at “woke gender ideology,” which among other things banned public school employees from referring to a student by a “personal title or pronouns that do not align with the person’s sex.”
In response, the Florida State Board of Education introduced a rule requiring parental consent for parents to use any name for a student other than their legal name.
AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
What To Know
In a statement, Brevard Public Schools chief strategic communications officer Janet Murnaghan said they had been contacted by a parent who complained that their child was being referred to “by a name other than their legal name” by Calhoun.
In response, it launched an investigation, with Calhoun admitting to the district that she “knowingly did not comply” with the rule on needing parental consent to change names in response to which she “received a letter of reprimand.”
Calhoun is on a 10-month contract that ends in May, and the district decided not to renew it “until the issue is resolved with the state.”
Prior to joining Satellite High School, Calhoun taught at neighboring DeLaura Middle School for 11 years.
As of 10:47 a.m. ET on Thursday, some 10,242 people had signed a petition on the Change.org website calling on Brevard Public Schools to “Reinstate Ms. Calhoun.”
The petition said Calhoun was being “punished merely for showing respect to a student’s choices,” adding that she “is an embodiment of what proper education should be: inclusive, understanding, and respectful of individuality.”
Florida House Bill 1069 also resulted in a number of books being removed from school libraries in the state because they allegedly contained inappropriate content for children, sparking condemnation from author Stephen King.
What People Are Saying
Kristine Staniec, another Satellite High School employee, at a school board meeting on Tuesday: “The teacher made a difference in her classroom and in the lives of our students, including my own child. She deserved more than a quiet exit. She deserved fairness, context and compassion.
“There was no harm, no threat to safety, no malicious intent, just a teacher trying to connect with a student.”
Joanna, one of those who signed the Change.org petition in support of Calhoun, wrote: “I extend my strongest recommendation for the reinstatement of Melissa Calhoun at Satellite High School. I have known her since she was 16 as a student in my classroom, and I have watched her flourish as a teacher in her adulthood, from her work at DeLaura Middle School where she inspired so many young people including our son, to her work at Satellite High School where she has not only poured her heart into teaching but also to developing strong bonds with students and their families. She truly is the best of the best. Please reinstate her. It is unquestionably the right thing to do.”
Brevard Public Schools chief strategic communications officer Janet Murnaghan, i “Brevard Public Schools (BPS) was made aware that a teacher at Satellite High School had been referring to a student by a name other than their legal name, without parental permission when the parent reached out to us. This directly violates state law and the district’s standardized process for written parental consent…
“After the accusation was made, the district conducted a detailed investigation. Based on the teacher’s own admission that she knowingly did not comply with state statute she received a letter of reprimand. Teachers, like all employees, are expected to follow the law.
“The teacher is working under a ten-month contract that expires in May 2025. 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.”
What Happens Next
Considering the support Calhoun has attracted, Brevard Public Schools will come under significant pressure to extend her contract at Satellite High School.
Florida
‘The naughty list:’ Wrong tag leads to arrest of wanted Central Florida man
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A wanted Central Florida man was caught after deputies noticed that his car had a wrong tag, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.
In a release on Wednesday, deputies said they initially spotted a car with a tag that didn’t belong on it.
“A little research showed (the driver) had an open warrant for occupied burglary,” the release reads. “He tried to accelerate and ram his way out of trouble, but that only led to more charges.”
Body-camera footage shows deputies confront and ultimately catch the driver, identified as 33-year-old Dillon Cottrell.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies also recovered a trafficking amount of fentanyl and other drugs.
Now, Cottrell faces charges of burglary, criminal mischief, fleeing law enforcement, trafficking in fentanyl, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, and obstructing law enforcement.
He is held without bond. His passenger, Kelli Jo Hands, was also arrested, deputies added.
“Both are still in jail and most likely spending Christmas there,” the release concludes.
Copyright 2025 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.
Florida
Grand Rapids police chief is candidate for Florida job: Eric Winstrom faced early trial
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Just weeks into his new job, Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom – sharing a small apartment with his wife and two children – was told that an officer was just involved in a shooting.
A former commander for Chicago Police Department, Winstrom had dealt with many shootings involving police.
Officer Christopher Schurr shot and killed Black motorist Patrick Lyoya after a Feb. 4, 2022, traffic stop. Schurr, a white officer, shot Lyoya in the back of the head.
Winstrom, who was named this week one of three finalists for police chief in Pensacola, Florida, recalled the tragedy in Grand Rapids in an MLive video 13 months after the killing.
He became chief in Grand Rapids on March 7, 2022.
He described the shooting as “just like a slap across the face and a wake-up call because I had been involved in so many of these difficult situations in Chicago. So I was like, ‘Oh, OK, I guess we’re doing this here so quick’ and it was I would say a progression of sadness.”
He met with Lyoya’s family in his office, “crying literally with them.” He knew that Schurr, who was ultimately acquitted by a Kent County jury of second-degree murder, and his family were devastated, too.
Winstrom fired Schurr after charges were filed.
He knew that his officers had strong feelings, with many supporting Schurr, who said he acted in self-defense when Lyoya gained control of his Taser.
Winstrom, who often responds to serious crime scenes, said: “I’ll say that this department – I’m sure everybody’s got their opinions – but from what I’ve seen they’ve handled it professionally … have not let it impact job performance at all which was something that I was really afraid of.”
That has happened in other U.S. cities after controversial police shootings. Lyoya’s supporters held many protests, particularly when the officer was on trial.
Windstrom said that calls to defund police can lead to a ‘mass exodus’ of officers, which data shows results in increasing violence in minority neighborhoods.
He said that “officers in Grand Rapids, whether they agree with my decision to fire Christopher or not, come to work every day. They just do a phenomenal, professional job. I’m really proud of them.”
Winstrom is a finalist for the Pensacola job with Brian Dugan, a former Tampa police chief, and Erik Goss, the acting deputy chief in Pensacola, the Pensacola News Journal reported.
The selection process will occur Jan. 12 to 14.
Winstrom declined an MLive request for comment on Wednesday, Dec. 24, but issued a statement the previous day.
He asked for patience while he considered what is best for him and his family. He said he will be “engaged here as ever” during the process and “I remain fully committed to ensuring the City of Grand Rapids is a community where people feel safe and are safe at all times.“
City Manager Mark Washington appointed Winstrom nearly four years ago knowing “that he was a highly qualified, top-tier professional in the field of public safety. While he hadn’t served as a Chief of Police, his potential was evident.”
Washington added: “Given the significant progress he has led within the Grand Rapids Police Department – specifically in advancing constitutional policing, enhancing transparency, and centering the department’s commitment to serve all residents – it is certainly not surprising that other communities would seek out his leadership and expertise.”
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