Alachua County School Board falls under close scrutiny from Board of Education

Alachua County School Board falls under close scrutiny from Board of Education

Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas (Photo via DOE)The Florida Board of Education is prescribing First Amendment training and threatening  school board member salaries in Alachua County after a school board meeting went viral.  In July, Alachua School Board Vice Chair Tina Certain asked a public commenter, Jeremy Clepper, to leave the room after he caused what board members called a disruption. Before deputies could escort the man from t…

State puts Alachua board on notice, school choice icon H.K. Matthews dies, and more - NextSteps: Step Up For Students

Around the state: Alachua County School Board members must undergo free speech training and future interactions with speakers at board meetings will be monitored by the state after a speaker who criticized a board member was asked to leave a recent meeting, Florida school choice and civil rights pioneer Rev. H.K. Matthews dies at the age of 97, Polk school board member Rick Nolte dies at the age of 69, Broward’s school board decides school polic…

"It's a toxic culture, and it needs to change": State Board of Education votes to monitor SBAC for a year - Alachua Chronicle

At today's State Board of Education meeting in St. Augustine, the Board voted to require the School Board of Alachua County to provide training to board members and demonstrate compliance with the First Amendment rights of parents; the Department of Education will monitor the district for all of the 2025-26 school year. The post “It’s a toxic culture, and it needs to change”: State Board of Education votes to monitor SBAC for a year appeared fir…

State Board of Education agrees school board violated First Amendment rights

Photo by Gary NelsonBoard members required to undergo free-speech training.