Shumita Basu

Just yesterday, a meeting of the Brevard County School Board in Florida descended into chaos as teachers and others attempted to speak up in defense of Melissa Calhoun, a teacher with over a decade of experience who lost her job in the district after calling a high school student by their preferred name instead of their legal name.

Just yesterday, a meeting of the Brevard County School Board in Florida descended into chaos as teachers and others attempted to speak up in defense of Melissa Calhoun, a teacher with over a decade of experience who lost her job in the district after calling a high school student by their preferred name instead of their legal name.

Let me finish and I'll let you speak.

Let me finish and I'll let you speak.

Let me finish and I'll let you speak.

School board members threatened to have meeting attendees removed. A motion to bring back this teacher and, quote, retrain her was brought up at the meeting. It failed. Her teaching credentials are also under review by the state board.

School board members threatened to have meeting attendees removed. A motion to bring back this teacher and, quote, retrain her was brought up at the meeting. It failed. Her teaching credentials are also under review by the state board.

School board members threatened to have meeting attendees removed. A motion to bring back this teacher and, quote, retrain her was brought up at the meeting. It failed. Her teaching credentials are also under review by the state board.

The Washington Post reports this is the first known dismissal to come from the campaign to crack down on teachers who recognize alternative gender identities in the classroom. Florida is one of 14 states that now have a rule that bars school staff from using students' alternative names or pronouns.

The Washington Post reports this is the first known dismissal to come from the campaign to crack down on teachers who recognize alternative gender identities in the classroom. Florida is one of 14 states that now have a rule that bars school staff from using students' alternative names or pronouns.

The Washington Post reports this is the first known dismissal to come from the campaign to crack down on teachers who recognize alternative gender identities in the classroom. Florida is one of 14 states that now have a rule that bars school staff from using students' alternative names or pronouns.

President Trump signed an executive order in January that directs the Department of Education to rescind federal funds from schools that don't follow its guidance to eliminate DEI and what it refers to as divisive ideology from schools. But the order itself is quite vague, which some educators say has made it extremely difficult for them to interpret and has left them afraid for their jobs.

President Trump signed an executive order in January that directs the Department of Education to rescind federal funds from schools that don't follow its guidance to eliminate DEI and what it refers to as divisive ideology from schools. But the order itself is quite vague, which some educators say has made it extremely difficult for them to interpret and has left them afraid for their jobs.

President Trump signed an executive order in January that directs the Department of Education to rescind federal funds from schools that don't follow its guidance to eliminate DEI and what it refers to as divisive ideology from schools. But the order itself is quite vague, which some educators say has made it extremely difficult for them to interpret and has left them afraid for their jobs.

In another incident in Idaho, a sixth grade teacher named Sarah Inama was directed by her district to remove two posters from her classroom. One said, quote, everyone is welcome here above an illustration of hands with different skin tones. The other said everyone is, quote, welcome, important, accepted, respected, encouraged, valued and equal. The backdrop of each word was a color of the rainbow.

In another incident in Idaho, a sixth grade teacher named Sarah Inama was directed by her district to remove two posters from her classroom. One said, quote, everyone is welcome here above an illustration of hands with different skin tones. The other said everyone is, quote, welcome, important, accepted, respected, encouraged, valued and equal. The backdrop of each word was a color of the rainbow.

In another incident in Idaho, a sixth grade teacher named Sarah Inama was directed by her district to remove two posters from her classroom. One said, quote, everyone is welcome here above an illustration of hands with different skin tones. The other said everyone is, quote, welcome, important, accepted, respected, encouraged, valued and equal. The backdrop of each word was a color of the rainbow.

The school district told Inama it wasn't the words on these posters that were a potential problem, but rather the colors of the rainbow and the different skin tones on the illustrated hands. The school district said they violated policy requiring classroom content to remain neutral. At first, Inama took down the posters, but she told NPR that made her feel gross, so she put them back up.

The school district told Inama it wasn't the words on these posters that were a potential problem, but rather the colors of the rainbow and the different skin tones on the illustrated hands. The school district said they violated policy requiring classroom content to remain neutral. At first, Inama took down the posters, but she told NPR that made her feel gross, so she put them back up.

The school district told Inama it wasn't the words on these posters that were a potential problem, but rather the colors of the rainbow and the different skin tones on the illustrated hands. The school district said they violated policy requiring classroom content to remain neutral. At first, Inama took down the posters, but she told NPR that made her feel gross, so she put them back up.