Following Certain’s comments on Kirk, Florida education chief says ACSB ‘failing’ its mission

The Gainesville Sun | By Chelsea Long | September 25, 2025

The State Board of Education during its Sept. 24 meeting decried Alachua County School Board Vice Chair Tina Certain for her lack of professionalism over comments made on social media about late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

State leaders said the post, and another post made by the ACSB Chair Sarah Rockwell in July, are evidence of a pattern of misconduct and unprofessionalism from the ACSB’s leadership.

“What I’m hearing is the pattern existed for a long time and it’s continuing, and I find that to be very concerning,” said State Board of Education member Layla Collins. “And then with the recent post we discussed, I don’t even see a willingness to do better.”

Certain shared her thoughts about Kirk, who was shot in killed on Sept. 10 during a speaking engagement in Utah, in a Sept. 21 Facebook post on the day of his memorial.

“I didn’t watch any of that Drump rally! I went to see an elder bcs the weight of it all – how a 31yr old uneducated white boy has been glorified. He has a organization bcs a millionaire gave him money & connections to start it. To see the feds & state elevate him angers me. It is heavy but I know I can stay home. Gotta fight despite being tired of it all,” she wrote.

Certain stood by her post earlier this week saying that while the comment was poorly worded, it didn’t change “the reality of his [Kirk’s] rhetoric.”

Certain’s Facebook post drew the ire of state board Chair Ryan Petty.

“I quite frankly am of the opinion that somebody who would write that and post that on Facebook doesn’t belong on a state board, or of any district in the state,” Petty said. “That’s irresponsible — I think we’ve had enough.”

State Board of Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas, shown in Jacksonville on July 7, said on Sept. 24 that the Alachua County School Board is “failing repeatedly in its mission…”

The state board plans to monitor Alachua County School Board meetings for the rest of the year.

State Board of Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas invited Certain to the next state board meeting in November to provide “clarity and context” on how race impacts her views on Kirk and how those views may impact her decisions as a school board member.