Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas paid a personal visit to Tuesday night’s School Board of Alachua County (SBAC) meeting, where he expressed his displeasure over recent actions by the board, including violating a parent’s First Amendment rights, failure to comply with state law and controversial social media posts.
Board Chair Sarah Rockwell, who made her first in-person appearance since the SBAC’s July 31 meeting, invited Kamoutsas to the lectern after an opening performance by the Buchholz High School (BHS) Band and district highlights by interim Superintendent Kamela Patton.
“I wish I was here under better circumstances. But unfortunately, I’m being frank. I’m outraged,” Kamoutsas said while addressing a crowded boardroom. “I’m outraged by the toxic culture, the pattern of intimidation and the dereliction of duty that this board has repeatedly demonstrated. The First Amendment, state law [and] parents’ rights have been violated and frequently ignored by the Alachua County School Board.”
Kamoutsas specifically addressed Rockwell and Vice Chair Tina Certain, saying that the State Board of Education “delivered clear and formal directives” to them at its Aug. 20 meeting. Those orders, Kamoutsas said, included updating First Amendment policies and having SBAC members undergo training on these rules.
“The Alachua County School Board was also informed that their future meetings would be monitored by Florida Department of Education (FDOE) staff…” Kamoutsas added. “One would expect that at a minimum, the board would proceed with caution and professionalism. Yet, at the very next meeting, on Sept. 2, Vice Chair Certain openly cast doubt on the legitimacy of the State Board of Education’s findings and recommendations.”
Kamoutsas also noted that at the Sept. 2 meeting, Certain, who chaired the meeting in place of Rockwell, “could not maintain professionalism or decorum,” citing comments from Dustin Sims, lead state executive director for the FLDOE’s Bureau of School Improvement, at the Sept. 24 state board meeting.
Kamoutsas also touched on a recent social media comment Certain made about the late Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed on Sept. 10 while speaking at an event on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
“Why are you not prioritizing your students?” Kamoutsas said to the board. “Instead, your public service is about yourself and your selfish acts. The State Board of Education and I will continue to monitor the Alachua County School Board until it complies with the law, protects parental rights and ensures that every student is put first, and that every citizen is treated with the respect and the dignity that they are entitled to.”
There were roughly 30 speakers who spoke on non-agenda items at Tuesday’s meeting. Most of these commentators talked about the board and its current situation with the FDOE.
Some of the speakers backed the board and encouraged the members to maintain their stance and not “cave” into political pressure. Other commentators specifically expressed their support for Certain and the right to free speech.
Later in the meeting, during the announcements by board members and the superintendent, board member Janine Plavac referenced the SBAC workshop, in which Board Attorney David Delaney reviewed First Amendment rights and public comment policies in accordance with the state board’s order.
“We asked Mr. Delaney if we want to put something on Facebook, what do we have to say?” Plavac said at Tuesday’s meeting. “And the last page of the PowerPoint says all we have to say is, ‘this is the personal page of Janine Plavac. The views expressed here are strictly my own.’ I think if Mrs. Certain had said that on her [social media] post, we wouldn’t even have any of this discussion.”
In response to Plavac, Delaney said putting a disclaimer on social media pages “is a recommended best practice from a U.S. Supreme Court decision that gives elected officials more control over their accounts.”
“So, that was the intent of my advice. That it does give public officials more control over their personal accounts, if they have that information on there,” he added.
Plavac asked if board members would also be “less subject to scrutiny” if they put the disclaimer on their personal social media pages.
“I don’t think I could make that promise,” Delaney replied. “But I can say that it does provide you more control over your personal social media accounts.”
Certain addressed her comment on Kirk during her allotted time, saying that she has two separate social media accounts – a school board page and a personal account.
“The page that I made the comment on was my personal page,” she said. “I made it in my personal capacity one Sunday afternoon with my personal device that I spent my own money on…I made it because I do have a First Amendment right, recognizing that I did not give that up after the training that we had. I made my comment under that guise there. Some folks may agree with it and some folks…did not agree with it, but those are my feelings.”
While speaking at Tuesday’s meeting, Kamoutsas personally invited Certain to the next state board meeting on Nov. 13, where he said she will be asked “some very difficult questions” and explain why she believes she is “fit to serve the residents of Alachua County.”
“Until then, I recommend you govern yourself accordingly,” he said.
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.