BY AMBER THIBODAUX
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At an August 13 workshop, the School Board of Alachua County, the board’s attorney discussed the First Amendment rights of the public in board meetings and clarified best practices for board members’ social media posts. Board Attorney David Delaney gave a presentation titled “The First Amendment Rights of Elected Officials and Constituents,” where he went over the precedent set by previous court cases in relation to the public’s First Amendment rights during public comment at board meetings.
The presentation came just weeks after Board Chair Sarah Rockwell made a controversial comment from her personal Facebook account about the passing of former wrestler Hulk Hogan. Following her comment, which has since been deleted, the incident was picked up by national media outlets, and a large group of parents and residents showed up at the next school board meeting, mostly to express support for Rockwell. At one point in the July 31 meeting, Vice Chair Tina Certain ordered the removal of one parent after he made negative comments about Rockwell, and although the parent was allowed to stay after Delaney stopped the removal, Florida Commissioner of Education Stasi Kamoutsas ordered Rockwell to appear before the State Board of Education on August 20 “to demonstrate your compliance with state law. You will need to explain what correction actions have been taken to restore parents’ rights in Alachua County Public Schools.”…