This Florida school board is facing a brutal punishment for silencing conservatives

A leftist school board thought they could silence conservative parents with impunity.

But their reign of terror just came to a screeching halt.

And this Florida school board is facing a brutal punishment for silencing conservatives.

State drops the hammer on Alachua County’s leftist school board

The Florida State Board of Education just slammed the Alachua County School Board after exposing how they trampled on conservative parents’ free speech rights.

Education Commissioner Anastasios “Stasi” Kamoutsas didn’t mince words when he exposed what he called a “toxic culture” at the leftist-dominated school board meetings in St. Augustine on Wednesday.

“It’s clearly a culture. It’s a toxic culture, and it needs to change, and that’s why we’re bringing accountability here today,” Kamoutsas declared while presenting damning video evidence of the board’s pattern of silencing conservative voices.¹

https://twitter.com/StasiKamoutsas/status/1958273321079808398

The state board unanimously voted to force the Alachua County School Board to undergo mandatory First Amendment training within 48 hours and submit to monitoring for the entire 2025-26 school year.

Here’s the kicker – if they screw up again, the board members won’t see a dime of their paychecks.

The Hulk Hogan comment that started it all

The whole mess exploded after School Board Chair Sarah Rockwell posted a disgusting comment on social media about wrestling legend and Trump supporter Hulk Hogan.

“Oh did Hulk die? I didn’t even know. Good. One less MAGA in the world,” Rockwell wrote on her personal Facebook page.²

Think about that for a second. An elected school board official celebrating someone’s death because they supported Donald Trump.

And this is the person making decisions about your children’s education.

When conservative parent Jeremy Clepper stood up at a July 31 board meeting to call out Rockwell’s vile comment, Vice Chair Tina Certain tried to have him removed by sheriff’s deputies.

Clepper had used his allotted two minutes to criticize Rockwell, calling her a “disgusting, vile human being” for celebrating someone’s death over politics.³

But here’s where it gets interesting – the board’s own attorney had to intervene to stop the removal because they knew it was illegal.

Pattern of silencing conservative voices exposed

Kamoutsas didn’t stop there. He presented three separate videos showing a years-long pattern of the board silencing conservative viewpoints.

In one video from 2021, a parent was physically removed from a meeting for calling for the superintendent’s resignation.⁴

Another showed a concerned parent being shut down while trying to read explicit passages from a book available in school libraries – you know, the kind of content these leftist boards claim doesn’t exist.

“Ordering a speaker to cease talking, or ordering law enforcement personnel to remove a speaker specifically because of a speaker’s viewpoint, is the most egregious violation of the First Amendment and has a chilling effect on the speech of those who share similar viewpoints,” Kamoutsas explained.⁵

The commissioner showed how the board created such a hostile environment that conservative parents were afraid to speak up at meetings.

Newberry Mayor Tim Marden, who also chairs the Alachua County Republican Party, testified that conservatives avoid the meetings entirely because of the toxic atmosphere.

“The reason there are not more conservatives in that room is because of the toxic environment that has been created in and outside of these meetings,” Marden told the state board.⁶

Leftist board scrambles with weak excuses

Rockwell and Certain desperately tried to defend their actions, but their excuses fell flat.

Rockwell, appearing via Zoom while recovering from surgery, claimed her Hulk Hogan comment was “personally protected speech” and refused to apologize further.⁷

She had the audacity to claim her “record speaks for itself” when asked if conservative parents could trust her to be fair.

Certain tried to argue that Clepper wasn’t removed for his conservative views but for “causing a disruption” – even though video clearly shows he was walking back to his seat after his allotted speaking time.

The vice chair even claimed she couldn’t be held responsible for what happened during a recess when angry leftists in the audience screamed at Clepper to “Get the hell out!”⁸

But the State Board wasn’t buying any of it.

Swift justice and real consequences

The state board’s ruling was swift and severe. Within two days, the Alachua County School Board must create new free speech protections, complete required training sessions, and prove they’ve complied.

But here’s the best part – education officials will watch every single board meeting like hawks for an entire school year. One slip-up and their paychecks vanish.⁹

“This is the moment to restore trust in the Alachua County School Board, to reinforce the First Amendment and parents’ rights, promote transparency, and ensure that parents and students are not silenced when they speak up,” Kamoutsas declared.¹⁰

The leftist Florida Education Association immediately melted down over the decision, whining about “censorship” – rich coming from the same people who’ve been silencing conservative parents for years.

For too long, these leftist boards have operated like little fiefdoms, shutting down anyone who challenges their radical policies on everything from critical race theory to gender ideology to pornographic books in libraries.

They thought they could celebrate the death of Trump supporters, remove conservative parents from meetings, and create such a hostile environment that right-thinking Americans would just give up and stay home.

Well, they thought wrong.

The fact that a state board actually held these leftists accountable – with real consequences including potential loss of pay – shows the tide is turning.

Parents across the country should take note. When you stand up to these bullies, when you refuse to be silenced, when you demand your First Amendment rights be respected, you can win.

Jeremy Clepper may have been called names and nearly thrown out of a meeting, but his courage to speak up triggered an investigation that exposed years of constitutional violations.

¹ Jennifer Cabrera, “’It’s a toxic culture, and it needs to change’: State Board of Education votes to monitor SBAC for a year,” Alachua Chronicle, August 20, 2025.

² USA Today Network, “’Toxic culture’: Florida school board grilled over MAGA comment fallout,” USA Today, August 20, 2025.

³ Jay Waagmeester, “Alachua County School Board falls under close scrutiny from Board of Education,” The Capitolist, August 20, 2025.

⁴ Ibid.

⁵ Jennifer Cabrera, “’It’s a toxic culture, and it needs to change’: State Board of Education votes to monitor SBAC for a year,” Alachua Chronicle, August 20, 2025.

⁶ Ibid.

⁷ USA Today Network, “’Toxic culture’: Florida school board grilled over MAGA comment fallout,” USA Today, August 20, 2025.

⁸ Jennifer Cabrera, “’It’s a toxic culture, and it needs to change’: State Board of Education votes to monitor SBAC for a year,” Alachua Chronicle, August 20, 2025.

⁹ Amber Jo Cooper, “State Board: Alachua board not in compliance with 1st Amendment, must take training, show compliance,” Florida’s Voice, August 20, 2025.

¹⁰ Jay Waagmeester, “Alachua County School Board falls under close scrutiny from Board of Education,” The Capitolist, August 20, 2025.