State Board of Education to Monitor Alachua County School Board for 25-26 School Year

Edited Aug. 23: Updated photo captions and corrected dates.
ST. AUGUSTINE. The Florida State Board of Education (BOE) voted Wednesday to monitor the Alachua County School Board (SBAC) for the entire 2025–2026 school year, with Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas saying there is “probable cause” the board has violated the First Amendment.

Background:
Last month, SBAC Chair Dr. Sarah Rockwell made the following comments on her personal Facebook account after learning of Hulk Hogan’s death.

The comments went viral and garnered scrutiny from conservative voices and media.
At the subsequent SBAC meeting on July 31, the majority of people spoke during general public comment to support Rockwell; however, two individuals spoke against her, including Jeremy Clepper.
At the end of Clepper’s comment, he told Rockwell to step down and called her a “disgusting, vile human being.” Attendees of the meeting began disparaging his comment, and Clepper responded, "I need to stand here and listen to everything else," before saying, "Get up there and talk" if they have comments.
Vice Chair Tina Certain, who was chairing the meeting at the time, asked for a deputy to escort Clepper out. The school board attorney quickly advised against the decision, and Certain asked the deputy to stop. This led to outrage, and Certain put the meeting under a five-minute recess. Clepper decided to leave of his own accord.
Following the meeting, Kamoutsas sent a letter to Rockwell saying she violated Clepper’s rights and would not renew her teaching certificate. Kamoutsas informed Rockwell she’d be required to attend the Aug. 20 BOE meeting to update them on corrective actions taken.

Ahead of the BOE meeting, the Alachua County Democratic Party (ACDems) published a press release where they called out Clepper for the following posts and comments that were reposted on Facebook following his appearance at the July 31 SBAC meeting:












The ACDems’ press release puts Clepper’s comments in context of the fact Rockwell is Jewish, which reads as follows:







The ACDems’ press release referenced a comment by Kamoutsas replying to a post by Clepper celebrating his letter to Rockwell.

Clepper has also garnered criticism on social media for his prior arrests. Clepper’s criminal record primarily consists of driving under the influence, but he does have a conviction for a 2010 felony battery offense.



Additionally, City Commissioner Casey Willits has been caught in the fallout, as he was the speaker next up after Clepper and was standing at the speaking stand during the outrage. Willits handed the microphone to an elderly woman who was yelling for Clepper to get out and calling him a white supremacist. Newberry Mayor Tim Marden sent a letter to Gainesville City Attorney Daniel Nee saying Willits’ actions contributed to the tension.
Casey Wilits tells deputies to protect SBAC board members before passing the microphone to an elderly woman (SBAC)
Two weeks prior to the BOE meeting, former Florida House of Representatives candidate Amy Trask asked Marden to condemn the death threats against Rockwell.
The text messages, which Trask posted on her Facebook account, show Marden replied, “I've already said I don't condone violence. The path forward is for Rockwell to resign. Your side doesn't get to start a POLITICAL war and then call for the terms upon which it will end when it gets hard. Your side has berated us, threatened us, called us every name in the book, cost us ALL tax money, fed our children pornography among other things...for years!! This has only been a week and you're already crying. How weak. Unless your side wants to surrender with her resigning. Is she ready to resign yet? Are you the sentinel they have sent out to negotiate a peace settlement?”
Trask responded, saying there shouldn’t be "sides," and asked that Marden specifically call for a halt in threats of violence to Rockwell and her family. She also brought up the Joel Searby case, telling Marden he was given grace for previously supporting him.
Marden responded, saying, “You defended porn in the school… That's what you did. Porn! You wanted to fight the ‘book banning.’ You were wrong then and you still are. I did not defend Searby to the end. He actually started a whole different political party with Andrew Yang for goodness sakes. The sides are right and wrong here not blue jersey red jersey. I'm sure you want all of this to be over because you are losing and continue, when you do, to lose so spectacularly. Frankly, I have other things to do then waste my time with you. Unless you are here to surrender and advise me Sarah is resigning, this conversation is over.”
BOE Meeting:
Rockwell appeared at the BOE meeting virtually due to a recent surgery, while Certain, along with Board members Thomas Vu and Janine Plavac, appeared in person.
One of the first things the BOE did to address the situation was play three videos from SBAC meetings.
Clip not shown at BOE meeting starting from Clepper's comments (SBAC)
The first video showed the July 31 school board meeting outrage following Clepper’s comments. The BOE didn’t show Clepper’s comments prior to the outrage. A few people at the BOE meeting shouted out that the video lacked context.
First clip shown by BOE of July 31 SBAC meeting
The second video showed a separate SBAC meeting where a public commenter reads aloud a passage from the book “The Kid” by Sapphire. The book contains graphic depictions of child sexual abuse. The public commenter read the passages to argue the material is inappropriate and shouldn’t be available in school libraries. Someone on the dais interrupted, prompting then-board attorney Susan Seigle to clarify if the book had been challenged. Seigle said she would give the public commenter his time back.
Second clip shown by BOE
The third video showed an SBAC meeting from 2021. Then-Chair Leanetta McNealy, who still sits on the SBAC as a board member, kicked a man out after he called for the resignation of former Superintendent Carlee Simon.
Third clip shown by BOE
Rockwell said she couldn’t speak to the videos because they weren’t viewable from her virtual attendance. She said the BOE received an independent investigation that found the SBAC upheld the First Amendment rights of all speakers at the meeting.

Rockwell stated, “The speaker, [Clepper], continued to speak to the audience while walking back to his seat after he completed his comments, causing a disruption that interfered with the continuation of our board meeting. That was the point at which Ms. Certain requested his removal. Several times earlier in the meeting, he had interrupted… and was warned previously. When Ms. Certain asked for his removal, I immediately intervened on the speaker's behalf. Unfortunately, this was not captured by the microphone, but it was confirmed by Mr. Vu in the independent investigator's report. Mr. Delaney, our board attorney, also intervened and was captured on microphone to prevent the speaker's removal, and Ms. Certain immediately told the deputies to allow the speaker to stay.”

Certain stated, “Having history on the board, with other times when we've had contentious issues, I know people like to applaud or show their support. I told the audience that I would allow them to snap their fingers or to wave their hands in agreement… Just trying to keep people from clapping, I found it to be very hard. Now, regarding the speaker that's referenced in the letter by the commissioner, he was recognized, he spoke, and he was heard. He was allowed to use his full two minutes to express his personal views, many of which were sharply critical of the board members. When the audience began to interrupt him, I said to the audience, ‘Please allow him to speak. Don't interrupt him.’ Mr. Clepper responded, ‘Yeah, that's right. Don't interrupt me.’ He was not silenced. He was not removed during or immediately after his comments. I want to pause to say, Dr. Rockwell did mention that there were two prior interruptions and outbursts by Mr. Clepper in the meeting… and that was after I had outlined how the meeting would run… During the public hearing, Mr. Clepper yelled out at inappropriate times twice about getting a public comment… After Mr. Clepper completed his remarks, I thanked him for speaking. He started to return to his seat but continued to shout hostile remarks directed at Dr. Rockwell. His yelling caused a growing reaction from the audience, creating a disruptive and increasingly tense situation. As the presiding officer, it was my responsibility to protect the integrity of the meeting and the safety of everyone present, so yes, I did call for the deputy to intervene in the situation. It was not to silence him from speaking, as his two minutes had already elapsed and I had asked the next speaker to wait… Our legal counsel, Mr. Delaney, advised against removing the speaker, and I addressed the audience and told them that he was allowed to stay, which further seemed to inflame the situation. I followed advice that was given to me, and the citizen was informed and told he could stay, but he ultimately chose to leave in the recess of his own accord. At no point were his constitutional rights to speak suppressed.”
Newly appointed BOE Member Layla Collins said it’s important to recognize patterns and asked for a date on the third video.

Certain advised she didn’t know exactly when the third video took place and said that in the second video the public commenter was allowed to speak for his full time. She pointed out that she can be heard voicing for the man to be given his full time on the second video.
BOE Vice-Chair Esther Byrd asked Certain what she would do differently at the July 31 SBAC meeting.
Certain said she would’ve given attendees a more proper and specific warning.

Byrd asked Certain if she was okay with the book read by the man in the second video being available in Alachua County school libraries. Certain replied that the book was removed sometime after the meeting and reaffirmed that she leaned over to the then-chair, saying the public commenter should be allowed to read whatever passage he wants.
Byrd asked Certain if she was okay with the man being kicked out in the third video, and she responded, “I was not chair [at the time], and I did have a problem with that. I don’t know why that happened—why our chair at the time responded that way.”
BOE Member Kelly Garcia asked Rockwell how she responds to calls to step down, and she said that voters could decide in the next election.

BOE Member MaryLynn Magar asked Rockwell if she has apologized to Clepper, and she responded, “I have not personally apologized to him because I did not remove him. He did approach the dais just before the recess to speak to our attorney, and I tried to speak to him, but he yelled at me, so I have not personally apologized to him.”

BOE Member Daniel Foganholi asked Certain if Clepper would’ve been removed if the audience was silent, and she responded, “When I asked for assistance from law enforcement, it had nothing to do with what was spoken and everything to do with the tenor of the room. You didn’t show the whole clip from him speaking and then the end of his speech into all that…The disruption is the reason I asked for law enforcement to remove him out of the room. It was not because of what he spoke.”
Foganholi asked who commissioned the internal investigation, saying it was strange it didn’t include Rockwell’s initial comments on Hulk Hogan. Certain said the school district commissioned the investigation from an outside law firm and confirmed it didn’t reference the Hulk Hogan comments.

Addressing Rockwell, Collins stated, “Where I struggle with this is if you were in the seat of the parent, knowing that the post was made that expressed the wish for people of certain beliefs to be removed or not exist, and then to have an audience allowed to disrupt the speaker. But that was accepted. And then he was punished or attempted to be removed because he dared to speak what was considered out of turn when he had just went through that. Would you feel that your child could get an equal shake under your leadership?”
Rockwell responded, “Nothing I say here is going to change your opinion about what my comment was, but I never ever wished anyone dead. Never. My comment did not say that. I never said it… The fact is that comment was made on my personal page, not in my professional capacity. It is my protected First Amendment speech, and most parents would have never seen it if someone hadn't screen-shotted it and tried to make a huge political case out [it]... My record speaks for itself. I have advocated for and solved problems for families across the political spectrum.”
Public Comment:
Vu defended Rockwell, saying, “I'm going to say that from my seat here, I just want to quote your own little agenda. ‘To maintain orderly conduct and decorum at all board meetings. Any action that creates disruption, including speaking out of turn or making noises when not recognized, is prohibited.’ I believe [Certain and Rockwell] went through this very thoroughly [and] that Mr. Clepper was afforded every possible grace.”

Several public commenters said the video shown by the BOE of the July 31 meeting lacks context.
Gainesville resident Derry Smith said, “One person spoke [against Rockwell] politely and respectfully… Mr. Clepper did not. He was treated very fairly, with respect, and he expressed his opinion freely. He was not removed despite his inappropriate behavior. I just wanted to say that the murmurs from the crowd—you know—he had his right to speak, and I think it was hard—some of the words he used… It was hard to not at least murmur our disagreement.”
Newberry resident Jane Spear said, “I'm an 80-year-old grandmother. I want you to imagine me over 6 feet tall, stocky and unkempt. I want you to imagine that person aggressively pointing a finger at you and calling you a vile human being. That's the context that is left out.”
Alachua County resident Madeline Austin said that Clepper stood up two times during the meeting and aggressively stated, “When is my turn to talk?”
Retired police officer and Tina Certain’s husband, Lawrence Certain, said Clepper was “not civil” and that his words and actions “warranted him being removed.”
Alachua County resident Jane McNulty said that if she turned to the crowd at the BOE meeting following her public comment and said, “Y’all want to say something,” she would be approached and escorted out in a similar manner to Clepper at the July 31 SBAC meeting.
Trask pointed out that at the timestamp 1:53:39 of the July 31 SBAC meeting, Certain can be heard asking for attendees not to interrupt Clepper. She pointed out that at timestamp 1:55:10, members of the audience yelled out, “Don’t let him get close to her” and “Protect our board members.”

Trask said the BOE “won’t show how [Clepper] talked about castrating and hanging the neighboring community’s convicted sex offender in the town square [and] won’t show him screaming at the board or the gallery.”
Marden said the “reason there aren’t more conservatives [at SBAC meetings] is because of the toxic environment that's been created.” He said he gets messages from members of the community who want to go to the meetings but don’t feel like they can. “We’ve only touched on a few things here. This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Marden said.

Following his comment, Trask called out Marden for their prior messages, saying, “You called it war.”
Dr. Crystal Marull spoke about the second video, saying, “There was time remaining for Edward to finish his comment. He was not allowed to do it. That book was not removed until this June. It was still in the park catalog as of June 4. That comment took place last March.”
Marull said her six-year-old son wasn’t allowed to sit next to his friend on the school bus because their parents disagreed with her “perspectives on book challenges.”
Marull described a teacher allowing students to call her older son a “Naziphile” because of his interest in “history and participation in ROTC.” Marull alleged the teacher gave her son a nomination for “most likely to be a dictator” and tried to make him receive the “award” in front of the class. As she held up the certificate, Marull stated her son rightly refused it. She told GnvInfo, “The teacher handed it to another kid who placed it on his desk.”
The day after the BOE meeting, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a letter to Superintendent Dr. Kamela Patton and the SBAC regarding Marull’s statements, and the teacher in question was placed under administrative leave pending an investigation.
Clepper was the final public commenter, telling the BOE, “I hope I get more than a minute cause I need to address some of the things that were said.”

“You’re recognized for one minute, sir,” responded Chair Ryan Petty.

Clepper said, “One minute only—okay. . . . I went to that school board meeting to address things that Sarah Rockwell had said online about ‘good one less MAGA in the world.’ To say that is disgusting… I stood up as any father would to speak out. A school board meeting is where people are supposed to go and share their grievances, unless you don't agree with them. As soon as I did, people were shouting, and the chairwoman incited the mob, in my opinion, by telling them to kick me out. All I simply said to the audience was that if you want to get up and speak, go sign up and speak. That's when they were saying I was threatening Rockwell. I didn't approach her. The attorney stopped us. I wish I could address the things that were said that strictly aren't true. I wish they were testifying so they could be held under perjury.”
Commissioner’s Finding:
Following public comment, Kamoutsas said that some members of the audience “were acting similarly but much more restrained than they did in the [July 31 SBAC] meeting.”
The BOE voted unanimously in favor of Kamoutsas’ recommendation, which he outlined in the following statement:
“You heard from Vice Chair Certain. On all three instances that were highlighted… she said she would have done things differently. [Vice Chair Byrd] about that night, July 31, if she would have done anything differently. She said she would have made it clear at the beginning of the meeting what was proper decorum, which, to her credit, she said she did try to do, and there would be a warning, and then individuals would have been removed for disrupting the meeting. That is what took place on July 31. She talked about the individual who read the book… She said she told the chair that [she] would've let him read the book. That individual's First Amendment rights through his public comment ended earlier than he was allotted. This vice chair, who's here today, agreed with that. The third instance, where the individual was escorted out by law enforcement, having been interrupted prior to finishing his speech, she again admitted she did have a problem with that, but she was not the chair that night. School board members cannot sit idly by while one chair dominates the meetings. That is why it is a board… There is a toxic environment, and that is why I recommended to this board probable cause for an environment that does not uphold the First Amendment in Alachua County. My recommendation is that the board find an agreement that there was that First Amendment violation, that it be given a specified period of time to demonstrate compliance with the First Amendment by making sure that the policies are in fact updated within a specific time, that training be provided for each school board member within a specific time, and that the Alachua County School Board be monitored for the entire 25-26 school year to ensure that there is not another violation of First Amendment rights for parents in that district. If there is, then the recommendation is that the board issue automatic sanctions. That includes a report to the legislature explaining how the district is violating the First Amendment rights of parents within the district. That is a report required weekly by the Department of Education of the Alachua County School Board demonstrating how they intend to correct the failures that are taking place within the district as it relates to the First Amendment rights of parents, and that includes withholding an amount equal to their salaries should any of those provisions be violated.”
Editor’s Notes: The original version of this article mistakenly reported Clepper’s 2010 felony battery offense as occurring in 2014, and it was reported Trask’s conversation with Marden occurred a week prior to the meeting instead of two weeks.