Charlotte County Schools: A family affair for the Taylors

The Charlotte County School District is truly a family affair for the Taylor family. Every member of the family either works for or attends the district’s schools.

Chasity Strauss works at Murdock Middle School, while her twin sister Amber Perrett, parents Stephanie and Rodney Taylor, and brother Chase Taylor are all at Port Charlotte High School.

“We’re right down the street. I come over for lunch all the time, so I still get to see my sister. I still get to see my parents daily, all the time, even my husband,” said Chasity Strauss.

Rodney “Coach” Taylor, who serves as the dean of students for ninth grade, expressed his pride in working alongside his family.

“To have them here with me, coming back to where I went to school, and then having them go to school there, and then them coming back to where they went to school, where I went to school teaching, it’s a proud moment for me,” said Taylor.

Amber Perrett and Chasity Strauss shared how having their parents as teachers was not always easy.

“I had both my parents as teachers my senior year, and they were not easy on us,” said the sisters.

Stephanie Taylor, a science teacher, recalled how her daughters would create their own lessons during school events.

“They’d be in the back room, or whatever, making up their own lessons. They even videotaped themselves, like doing different lessons,” said Stephanie Taylor.

Chasity Strauss expressed her admiration for her parents’ work.

“I loved coming to work with my parents whenever we had that opportunity to do so, and I love seeing the work that they did and how they interacted with the students, and that’s what I wanted,” said Strauss.

Amber Perrett recently made it to the top five for Teacher of the Year after just eight years of teaching.

“I’m so determined, I’m like, I’ll be back. Like, don’t you worry, I’ll be back,” said Perrett.

Her sister, Chasity Strauss, is equally motivated.

“The competitive side, it’ll be like, yeah, you’ll be back, but one day I’ll be, I’ll be doing the same thing too,” said Strauss.

Rodney Taylor reflected on the family’s journey from students and athletes to educators.

“We used to run around this school as students and athletes, and now we look at each other. We got a job here, and now we’re teaching those students and athletes,” said Taylor. “And before long, we’re going to turn that torch over to them, and then they’ll keep it going.”

However, Chase Taylor, a 10th-grade student, has different aspirations. When asked if he might follow in his family’s footsteps, he said, “I hope not,” with a laugh.