Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas is calling for the permanent revocation of a Clay County teacher’s license after she allegedly celebrated the killing of conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk in a social media post.
“Holding educators accountable for speech that celebrates violence in schools is not a violation of free speech; it is a necessary step to uphold the standards of the teaching profession and the safety of our schools,” Kamoutsas said during a Monday press conference.
He said the teacher’s actions exhibited “gross immorality” and warranted the harshest disciplinary action available.
“In Florida, we uphold the First Amendment and we foster civil discourse, as well as open dialogue in our schools, (but) this commitment does not extend to promoting or glorifying violence as a means of resolving disagreement,” he said.
The teacher, Kelly Brock-Sanchez, who works at Ridgeview Elementary School in Orange Park, was placed on administrative leave on Sept. 11 while the district investigates the matter.
According to the school’s website, she teaches multiple grade levels. The incident is under review by the Clay County School Board and Human Resources department.
The controversy centers around social media posts made under the name “Kelly SteelMagnolia,” which included a comment on a news article reporting that Kirk had been assassinated on a Utah college campus.
“This may not be the obituary we were all hoping to wake up to, but this is a close second to me,” the post read.
The posts quickly drew outrage, especially after being amplified by conservative activist Scott Presler, who shared screenshots with his 2.3 million followers on X and tagged Gov. Ron DeSantis.
In a statement, Clay County District Schools said it does not condone the views expressed in the post.
“The views expressed in this post do not reflect the values or beliefs of our schools or district, and we do not condone the content in any way,” district spokesperson Terri Dennis wrote. “Our Human Resources department is actively reviewing the matter and taking action in line with district policy.”
