Encouraging student protests could lead to disciplinary action for teachers

FLORIDA – The Florida Department of Education sent out a memo Tuesday to statewide school districts, warning staff members against encouraging student protests.

In a post on X, Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas said the department would not tolerate “educators encouraging school protests and pushing their political views onto students.”

Across the nation, students have organized walkouts and demonstrations in response to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions and immigration policy concerns.

The memo sent to school districts on Tuesday came in response to legislators reaching out about “organized student protest activity occurring during the school day.”

The department emphasized that schools’ primary role is delivering standards-aligned instruction in a safe environment, and that districts must protect instructional time, campus safety, and compliance with laws and policies.

“Students retain constitutional rights to free expression, including the ability to engage in peaceful protest, when such expression complies with applicable law and school district policy. Any student whose actions are to the contrary should be appropriately disciplined. Districts have a responsibility to ensure that any protest activity does not interrupt instructional time, school operations and campus safety,” the memo read.

The department also warned that school and district staff must not encourage or facilitate protests during the school day, and that staff who divert students from instruction or compromise supervision may face disciplinary action.

We have contacted Duval County Public Schools and St. Johns County School District to inquire about any school protests they have encountered and to understand their policies and responses.