Less than a week after a Cocoa Beach teacher was arrested on multiple sexual offense charges in connection to a relationship with a student, Brevard’s school board was scheduled to meet.
The topic was not on the meeting’s agenda.
The April 14 Brevard Public Schools board meeting agenda did not address anything in relation to Kirsten Rose, the math teacher at Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High School who was arrested on April 10 after a Brevard County Sheriff’s Office investigation revealed that she had a relationship with a student.
Rose was placed on administrative leave, according to Janet Murnaghan, chief strategic communications officer for the district.
“We are deeply troubled by these allegations,” Murnaghan said in an email to FLORIDA TODAY. “The District remains committed to providing a safe and supportive learning environment for all students.”
During the April 14 meeting, the board approved a calendar modification that would set the last day of school for May 22, with classes getting out ahead of Memorial Day. The modification could be made because no hurricane days were used during the 2025-2026 school year.
9:40 a.m.: Non-agenda public comment kicks off
Two students spoke during the non-agenda portion of public comment just after 9:40 a.m.
Gina Derenge from the League of Women Voters of the Space Coast thanked Katye Campbell and Superintendent Mark Rendell for attending a forum on millage.
The main questions from attendees, she said, were about the breakdown of how millage is used and why millage matters for those who don’t have kids in school.
Barbara Ida, a retired teacher, said she spoke at a previous meeting about the student code of conduct and felt commenters were misunderstood based on the board’s response. She also chastised the board for not “nourishing” learning in response to walkouts but using discipline.
Board Chair Matt Susin commented that many students throughout the country had faced physical danger during protests and that it was the district’s responsibility to protect them.
9:25 a.m.: Union agreements approved
Updated agreements with Brevard Federation of Teachers and 1010 that reflected the modified calendar were quickly approved with no discussion. The board then moved through information items before proceeding to board discussions.
The non-agenda portion of public comment was scheduled to follow.
9:15 a.m.: School year will end before Memorial Day
Following public comment, the board approved all items on the consent portion of the agenda, including a modified calendar that will end the school year prior to Memorial day.
Board Vice Chair Megan Wright highlighted that point on the agenda, saying it was a positive thing.
“A lot of our families are very, very excited, as are we,” she said.
Board members echoed the sentiment, with Katye Campbell thanking members of staff for making sure the calendar would work for students, families and employees.
Superintendent Mark Rendell said last year, the days after Memorial Day were not “high-quality instruction days” as they were not well-attended, and that was part of why they decided to eliminate them this year. They were able to make the decision because they had not used any hurricane days during the 2025-2026 school year.
9:05 a.m.: One speaker for public comment
Bernard Bryan, education chair for South Brevard NAACP, was the only speaker during the agenda-related portion of public comment. He addressed Brevard Public Schools’ Career and Technical Education program, saying he had visited Eau Gallie High Schools’ aviation program and it was “one of the best” he’d seen. He brought up the rates of participation in CTE and where kids go after school.
“What I’m asking is that Brevard Public Schools look at an opportunity to provide CTE programs to especially those kids that are in Title I schools,” he said.
9 a.m.: Meeting kicks off with adoption of agenda
The Brevard school board meeting kicked off at 9 a.m., with the board swiftly moving to adopt the agenda. There were no proclamations or staff recognitions.
Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at fwalker@floridatoday.com. X: @_finchwalker. Instagram: @finchwalker_.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: R:ecap No talk of teacher arrest during Brevard school board meeting
Reporting by Finch Walker, Florida Today / Florida Today
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