Florida School Board Member Fires Back Against State Oversight

[CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla.] —  In what proved to be a contentious meeting, a member of the Alachua County School Board (ACSB) attended the Florida Board of Education monthly meeting on Nov. 13 in Crawfordville, Fla., to defend the accusations made against her regarding her social media comments about Charlie Kirk, a controversial figure in right-wing politics.  

In an ACSB meeting on Oct. 7, Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas called out Vice Chair Tina Certain for comments she made about Kirk following his death. He also commented on her alleged behavior at a previous meeting, where the Florida Department of Education determined that she had violated the First Amendment rights of a parent.

In a since-deleted post on her personal Facebook page, Certain referred to Kirk as a “31-year-old uneducated white boy” who has been “glorified.”

At the end of the meeting, Kamoutsas told Certain that he would see her at the Nov. 13 State Board of Education meeting, where she should be prepared to answer “some very difficult questions.”

 Gary Edinger, an attorney representing Certain, sent a letter to Kamoutsas stating that the board did not have the authority to mandate her attendance and that her comments made on her personal Facebook were protected under the First Amendment.

Certain came to the meeting voluntarily and spoke from the podium wearing a shirt that said “Black People Did Not Benefit from Slavery” in reference to a controversial standard for Social Studies classes set by the board in 2023.

“I felt like I needed to come to speak on my own behalf, for myself, because my character, my personal character, was being maligned, and that didn’t sit well with me,” she said in her opening statement.

She spoke about how her comments about Kirk, although “frank and imperfectly worded,” were still constitutionally protected. She also stated that she finds it “deeply disturbing” that an elected official was being called before the board to discuss a personal opinion expressed on a personal account.

“I believe it raises serious questions about viewpoint discrimination, attempting to punish me not for misconduct, but for expressing a perspective that you all don’t agree with,” she said.

She maintains that she is committed to improving student outcomes, supporting educators, and ensuring that every student receives a high-quality education.  

“I’m going to lean into my First Amendment rights that I did not give them up, and I will continue to ask, if you all would tell me what specifically that I have done, that says I cannot fulfill my duty as an elected school board member,” she added.

The board members grilled Certain for more than an hour. During Kamoutsas’s time, he presented three screenshots of Certain’s alleged Facebook posts and comments made on her personal account, which were unrelated to her comment about Charlie Kirk.

“It’s ironic that you criticize Charlie Kirk’s comments and not recognize that you… do…you bring race into your posts,” Kamoutsas said.

“I am a fundamental believer in the First Amendment, but what we are not going to allow happen in this school system in Florida is students be misled by adults and to engage in violent political rhetoric or calling people out because of the way God created them,” he added.

Certain was not permitted to respond to Kamoutsas, the only moment throughout the hour that she was not permitted to speak.

Vice Chair of the board Esther Byrd asked Certain whether she thought racism was a moral failing that would affect the ability of the school board member to represent all students in the district, which Certain declined to answer.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Byrd responded.

In response to Certain’s comments regarding the First Amendment, board member Daniel P. Foganholi, Sr. warned:

“So, as a board member, that’s the thing. We look at laws. And I’m saying be very careful. Because your lawyers are saying, ‘Be careful, this is not a statute; don’t say this; it’s not a law.’ You’re giving a lot of ideas to some legislators out there. I’m saying, be very careful. Don’t do that, because I think a lot of people are taking notes [and are thinking,] ‘Wait a second, and [they will] start removing board members left and right, because of being reckless on Facebook. You don’t want to do that.”

In her closing comments, Certain emphasized the importance of public education:

 “My focus has been and it remains on what truly matters, supporting teachers, serving our students, fighting for a stronger and fair public education system in Florida.”.  

Watch the full Nov. 13 Florida Board of Education meeting here.