Brevard Public Schools has decided not to rehire veteran AP Literature teacher Melissa Calhoun, despite the Florida Department of Education’s Education Practices Commission ruling last week that she may continue teaching while serving a one-year probation.
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Calhoun, who taught at Satellite High School for more than a decade, was removed in April after using a student’s chosen name without written parental consent, a violation of a 2023 Florida Board of Education rule. The name, tied to the student’s gender identity, had been in use since at least eighth grade.
The Education Practices Commission — a panel of community volunteers — unanimously approved a settlement allowing Calhoun to retain her teaching credentials. The agreement includes a written reprimand, a $750 fine, a one-year probation, and completion of an ethics course. Calhoun is fully authorized to teach during probation. School Board Member John Thomas repeatedly advocated that the district reconsider it’s decision of not renewing her contract, depriving the district of an exceptionally talented and highly rated and effective AP English teacher, noting that she was likely the only teaching subject to the investigation who actually “told the truth.” He stated that he would like to see her receive a letter of reprimand and retraining on the new policy/rules of the nickname usage forms which even school administrators acknowledged were not implemented properly for teachers to reference. The board rejected Thomas’ proposals.
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The District’s Statement
In an email sent “on behalf of Superintendent Dr. Mark Rendell,” the district said Calhoun’s decision was “conscious and deliberate” and “deeply troubling.” The statement asserted that “the influence of teachers must never override the rights of parents” and that Calhoun would need to complete her probation before being considered for reemployment.
Notably, Calhoun’s application to return to the district remained pending until the morning of August 5 — less than a week before school starts. She reportedly found out the decision on her application at the same time as the media did today.
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School Board Member Megan Wright personally released her own statement while the investigation was ongoing:
The Parent Complaint
Records show the complaint was filed by Sandra Sullivan, who had never contacted Calhoun, other teachers, or administrators during the years her child used the chosen name. Instead, Sullivan finally brought the matter directly to the principal School Board member Matt Susin in March 2025, just months before her child graduated and turned 18. For those unfamiliar with the origins of the case, the investigation file provides a detailed account of how a routine classroom practice escalated into a full-scale administrative action. It’s reported that the child and Sullivan argued over her choices for years prior to this complaint.
The matter began on March 6, 2025, when Satellite High School Principal Courtney Lundy received a verbal complaint from parent Sandra Sullivan. Sullivan alleged that Calhoun had been calling her child by a preferred name — one reportedly in use since at least eighth grade — rather than the legal name, a practice she claimed violated the new Florida Statute 1000.071 (Nickname law), which requires parental consent for use of any name not on the child’s birth certifcate.
Sullivan took her concerns to School Board member Matt Susin. The decision to bypass actual teacher-level communication has prompted questions about potential political motivations, particularly given Sullivan’s prior public advocacy on other contentious education and policy issues. According to voicemails obtained by The Space Coast Rocket through records requests, Sullivan stated she believed her child was targeted and groomed by School Board Member Jennifer Jenkins because of Sullivan’s $100 campaign contribution to Randy Fine. It should be noted that the actions subject to this complaint by the child, pre-date Jenkins even being elected to the School Board or any political contributions by Sullivan to Fine. The lengthy, repeated voicemails from Sullivan to others over the matter, have resulted in law enforcement involvement after complaints of Sullivan repeatedly “driving by” certain individuals residences.
Sandra Sullivan speaking at a Brevard County Commission Meeting wearing a shirt that states “If Sullivan can’t fix it then we’re all screwed.”
The investigation moved swiftly. On March 10, Principal Lundy met with Calhoun to review the complaint. Calhoun acknowledged she had not verified the nickname in the district’s Focus software or obtained a signed parental consent form, attributing this to limited training on the 2023 policy change. She denied any intent to circumvent the law, describing the matter as an oversight.
By March 11, Calhoun was formally hand-delivered a predetermination letter scheduling a meeting in the district’s Human Resources office for March 13, later rescheduled that same day to accommodate the Brevard Federation of Teachers’ request for union representation.
Over the following weeks, Professional Standards and Labor Relations investigator Jackie Saxenmeyer collected statements. Principal Lundy noted Calhoun appeared confused about the policy but reaffirmed her commitment to her students, while multiple students commended her for creating an inclusive classroom environment. District Attorney Paul Gibbs confirmed that BPS Policy 8330 aligned with state requirements for parental consent, and Dr. Jayna Jenkins from Student Services acknowledged that training materials on the rule were limited when rolled out in 2023.
On March 24, Calhoun and her union representative, Anthony Colucci, met with investigators, reiterating that her actions were unintentional. By March 26, a draft reprimand letter had been prepared. On April 1, Superintendent Mark Rendell personally delivered both a formal reprimand and notice of contract non-renewal to Calhoun’s home, with her contract set to expire on May 29. A Professional Practices Services (PPS) Reporting Form completed on April 11 cited multiple statutory violations, marking Calhoun as the first known Florida educator to lose her position over the 2023 parental consent rule.
The entire process — from Sullivan’s initial complaint to the superintendent’s delivery of the termination notice — unfolded in just over four weeks. Supporters argue the district prioritized strict procedural compliance over weighing Calhoun’s unblemished record, years of service, and the absence of any parental objection during the student’s prior years of using the preferred name. You can read the entire complaint here.
Comparisons Raise Questions
The district’s decision contrasts sharply with how other cases have been handled. In recent years, BPS has allowed educators accused or convicted of more serious offenses and policy violations to continue teaching, remain on leave, and even in some cases return to the classroom with pending charges against children, at least temporarily.
One infamous example is Karly Anderson, a teacher arrested in January 2025 on felony child neglect charges after police responded to a house party with over 100 underage attendees using alcohol and drugs. The charges were later reduced but still included charges endangering the safety of children. Anderson was returned to the classroom at a Title I school, Saturn Elementary before being placed on paid leave again after The Space Coast Rocket published the release of body camera footage showing her confrontation with police and first responders. School Board Member Matt Susin later claimed that he nor the school district ever received the police reports of the incident, attempting to justify the move of placing her back in the classroom. His statements was quickly proven to be false. Anderson was found guilty by a jury on all charges. The Principal, Elizabeth Hill-Brodigan who hosted the teen party at her home is still employed by BPS and still on administrative leave pending the outcome of her felony charges.
School Board Chair Gene Trent infamously described the entire ordeal as “no big deal” and simply a typical teen party. Children leaving the party were arrested on alcohol and drug charges, as well as requiring emergency medical treatment.
Principal Elizabeth Hill-Brodigan and Karly Anderson
This clip shows Megan Wright during a 2022 school board meeting fighting against terminating a teacher who refused a drug test after the district received photos of her allegedly using illegal drugs.
Despite the previous acting Superintendent clearly explaining — multiple times — that the policy requires termination when an employee refuses a drug test under reasonable suspicion, Megan questioned the evidence, blamed the timing of the photo, and argued that enforcing the policy might open the district to lawsuits. In short, she bent over backwards to protect a teacher accused of drug use — something that could have put students in real physical danger. The teacher refused to take a drug test which by policy is equivalent to a positive test, thus leading to the recommendation of termination by the district staff.
School board member Gene Trent was investigated for failing to disclose his multiple arrests on his teacher employment application after we reported on it during his campaign. According to the BPS Human Resources department, there were two investigations into the matter that found Trent indeed lied on his application by not accurately disclosing his criminal history. He received a one year suspension from teaching which was irrelevant as he was by then elected to a 4 year term on the School Board.
Numerous other teachers and administrators have been arrested and/or charged with policy violations and are still employed by Brevard Public Schools.
Timing and Broader Context
The district’s decision not to rehire Calhoun comes one day after newly appointed DOE Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas visited BPS. Kamoutsas had attempted to withdraw Calhoun’s settlement agreement at the July 30 hearing but was overruled by the commission. It is not clear by records that his visit to the district yesterday was motivated by the commission’s decision to overrule him and seek other ways to punish Calhoun.
While the district cites the importance of upholding the parental rights rule, the disparity in how different cases are handled raises questions about consistency and whether policy enforcement is being applied evenly across the board.
What’s Next
Calhoun, who has consistently received positive evaluations and strong support from students and colleagues, remains ineligible to return until at least after her probation ends next year. Meanwhile, the district’s approach to disciplinary cases will likely remain under scrutiny as parents, educators, and community members weigh whether current policies are being enforced fairly.
