If you want to see what’s happening to free speech and due process in the so-called “Free State of Florida,” look at the ruckus two Tampa-area legislators caused last week.
Republican Reps. Danny Alvarez of Riverview and Michael Owen of Apollo Beach wrote to Florida’s education commissioner about “deeply troubling allegations” surrounding a student walkout on Jan. 30 at Ruskin’s Lennard High School. The pair alleged that Lennard principal Denise Savino “called a faculty meeting” to support a national day of protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, going so far as to instruct teachers not to stop students from leaving class and suggesting that students “could gather on the school football field.” If proven true, the lawmakers wrote, the state should “permanently revoke” Savino’s teaching certificate.
The letter prompted Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas to fire off a directive of his own later that day, warning school superintendents that “any conduct” by school personnel that diverts from instruction or undermines classroom authority “warrants disciplinary action.”
The whole thing was overkill, which was probably the point. While all three officials deny their concerns were content-based, their letters tell a different story. They also took the occasion to rewrite the history of how Gov. Ron DeSantis has politicized the schools. The two lawmakers also threatened an educator’s reputation and livelihood based on unsubstantiated claims.
Nobody should be surprised by the student protests. Public demonstrations have gathered steam nationwide since the Trump administration began its forceful crackdown on immigration last year. The public backlash reached a fever pitch after federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens during operations in Minnesota in January. Students in Florida and across the nation have joined in. I have no problem with Florida’s education commissioner reminding school districts of their duty to manage student conduct and campus safety. But as is too common, Florida crossed a line.
In their letter, the lawmakers declare: “Principal Savino appears to have violated the law.” That’s before any inquiry has taken place. The lawmakers also call for the state to investigate “what appears to be a broader pattern of coordinated activist activity targeting Florida’s public schools.” Yet they muster only a couple of weak examples.
The legislators also asserted that “a determined class of radical activists within our public education system continues to defy the law and the will of the people.” Exactly who and what’s going on went unexplained. The lawmakers also declare that “the people of Florida — through their elected representatives in Tallahassee — have passed comprehensive legislation to root out political activism and ideological indoctrination in our public schools.” The record, they wrote, is clear: “Florida public schools are for education, not political activism.”
Let’s dissect these one at a time.
First, Floridians have not stood in lockstep with the Legislature as it wrung public schools through the culture wars. Students, parents and educators have opposed book bans, voters have rejected DeSantis-aligned candidates for school board and critics have pushed back at a range of the governor’s initiatives, from the whitewashing of Black history to the conservative takeover of Florida’s honors college. Pretending that Florida under DeSantis has removed politics from education is a joke. It’s especially rich coming from Owen, who filed legislation this year to make Hillsborough’s appointed school superintendent an elected position.
Kamoutsas advanced the same talking points, posting on social media that Florida “will not tolerate educators encouraging school protests and pushing their political views onto students, especially ones that disparage law enforcement.” So law enforcement now has higher free speech protection? So much for the state’s response not being content-based.
Look, I don’t know what happened at Lennard High; I wasn’t there. I’m told about 80 students took part (out of the 2,328 enrolled). They were shuffled to the football field for their safety before returning for seventh period.
What I do know is that Savino deserves the benefit of the doubt before politicians call for her head. Your average cluck isn’t appointed principal of a high school, especially to one of the largest in Florida. There’s also no cosmic barrier that keeps the outrage from across the country from being felt here. Managing students, too, can be tough; you can’t merely manhandle them into classrooms. Let’s also remember that protesters are directing their anger at the poor training and tactics of federal agents, not law enforcement more generally.
The rush to judgment, double standard and hypocrisy here are what Floridians should worry about, not a handful of kids on the football field.
