Florida Targets School Board Chief for Celebrating Conservative’s Death

A school board chair in Florida is under fire nationwide and under investigation by state authorities for celebrating the death of conservative Christian Trump supporter Hulk Hogan, then trampling on the rights of a parent who spoke out about it in public. Outrage is still growing over the scandal.

After a concerned father spoke out and law enforcement was summoned to remove him from the public meeting, the situation escalated as it entered the national headlines. Now, the Florida Commissioner of Education is recommending the board lose its salary as a state investigation takes place. Federal funds might be at risk too, lawmakers suggested.

The saga began when Alachua County School Board Chairman Sarah Rockwell celebrated the death of Hogan, a personal friend and major supporter of President Trump. “Good, one less MAGA in the world,” Rockwell said in a social media post that sent shockwaves through the county and then the country.  

Rockwell later apologized. But concerned parents and members of the community urged her to resign, describing the comments as “hateful” and “deeply intolerant.” Critics also noted that the remark made many families, students, and even teachers in the district feel unwelcome.

One parent in particular went to the school board meeting to speak out. “You know what you said, and you should step down,” said local father Jeremy Clepper, suggesting she did not have a “shred of integrity” in her body while mocking the board for pretending to be inclusive while hating those with other opinions. “You’re a disgusting, vile human being.”

Clepper expressed hope that the state would investigate local officials as part of Governor Ron DeSantis’ own “DOGE” efforts, and then arrest the criminals among them. “Rockwell is clearly  progressive pushing LGBT ideology on our schools,” he continued, noting that a man arrested for child sex crimes was one of the LGBT activists touted by the board.

As soon as Clepper finished his remarks, school board member Tina Certain asked sheriff’s deputies to remove him from the meeting. Meanwhile, another local official, Gainesville City Commissioner Casey Willits, took the microphone and began shouting into the microphone “protect our board.”

As the crowd became increasingly agitated and hostile, another local activist got the microphone and accused Clepper of being a “white supremacist.” “Get out!” shouted the far-left activist, identified by locals as Faye Williams. “This is our meeting!”

Sheriff’s deputies approached Clepper and began to remove him from the meeting. But suddenly, the school board’s attorney, apparently realizing that such a move would be flagrantly illegal, called on the deputies to allow Clepper to remain. Amid the ordeal, Clepper voluntarily left the meeting.

“For an educator, let alone the head of the school board, to cheer for the death of half of her students, half their families, and half this country. It’s just something I had to go speak about,” Clepper told The Newman Report in an exclusive statement. “How can that person so full of hate take care of those she wishes dead? She needs to step down to do the right thing for her constituents, and I just had to speak up for those that can’t.”

Now, the chickens are coming home to roost. As video of the ordeal went viral online and major commentators and national media outlets began picking up the story, calls for the board to resign grew. Chairman Rockwell even claimed to be receiving “death threats,” though those claims could not immediately be verified.

Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas spoke out. “If the Alachua County School Board thinks they’re going to violate parents’ first amendment rights at school board meetings, they’re in for a rude awakening,” he said before unveiling a letter announcing he had probable cause to believe that Florida law was broken.

There must be consequences, he said. “Given the circus at the latest meeting, my recommendation is that the State Board of Education withhold the entire school board’s salaries until they follow the law and respect parental rights in Alachua,” Kamoutsas wrote on social media.

In a letter to the board chair, the state education commissioner said the remarks caused the public “to lose confidence in your ability to treat all students and families fairly.” He added that his concerns were “reaffirmed by your decision to allow the rights of a parent defending a conservative position to be violated.”

Among other concerns, Kamoutsas said that the public humiliation of a parent for his views created a “chilling effect” where other parents would be scared to express themselves. The board’s actions also brought negative attention to the whole district at a national level, he added. That is unfair to the teachers and the families that the chair supposedly serves.

“Your conduct during this meeting was inexcusable,” Kamoutsas said, warning that state law requires the protection of parental rights, free speech, and other constitutional rights that he warned were “under attack” by the board. “You should be ashamed of your failure as a board member, let alone the board chair.”

According to the letter, Chairman Rockwell will now be required to appear before the board on August 20th to explain what steps she has taken to ensure this does not happen again. Kamoutsas also warned her that attempts to renew her state teaching license would likely be denied.  

At the national level, lawmakers and media outlets have been sounding the alarm too. Congressman Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), who represents the district in Congress, suggested the district’s federal funding could be at risk. “As their federal Representative, I look forward to meeting with Sarah and @AlachuaSchools to discuss their federal funding,” she said.

Alachua County Republican Chairman Tim Marden has kept a close eye on this situation and called for Rockwell to resign as well. Marden, who also serves as mayor of a city within the county and is on the staff of the conservative John Birch Society, said he plans to testify at the August 20 board meeting to ensure that the truth is told.  

“This is the latest in a long train of abuses against conservatives from this Board,” Marden told The Newman Report. “Time and again they prioritize their leftist agenda over education. I wish I could tell you this was the first time something like this has happened. But it isn’t.” Marden said accountability was essential.  

The outrageous behavior of Alachua County’s school board is just the tip of the iceberg. Rockwell and others are just a representative sample of hateful and vindictive tyrants who are right this moment shaping the hearts and minds of the next generation of Americans. If urgent action is not taken soon, cataclysm awaits.

Alex Newman is an award-winning international journalist, educator, author, and consultant who co-wrote the book “Crimes of the Educators: How Utopians Are Using Government Schools to Destroy America’s Children.” He writes for diverse publications in the United States and abroad. Originally published at Liberty Sentinel.

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