When Elected Officials Skip the Phone Call and Go Straight to the Pitchfork

Apparently, in Florida politics, the due diligence phase has been replaced by vibes, outrage, and a quick dash to social media. Two Hillsborough County Republicans, Danny Alvarez and Michael Owen, proved that last week when they worked themselves into a moral panic over students protesting ICE at Lennard High School (”Oh, the humanity…”), and then skipped the most basic step of governance: checking the facts.

The charge was dramatic. Students were supposedly pulled out of instructional time (as stated by Alvarez and Owen in a press release dated March 10, 2023). Notice their enthusiasm to condemn a Principal and Students for honoring one of America’s most treasured rights. A principal was accused of orchestrating radical activism. The solution? A letter to Tallahassee demanding an investigation and the permanent revocation of an educator’s license. Because when you hear something alarming, why make a phone call when you can threaten someone’s career instead?

Here’s the inconvenient truth the representatives couldn’t be bothered to learn: the protest happened after instructional time. Not during class. Not instead of math or English. After. As has been seen in historical precedents like the 1968 East L.A. walkouts, where students took a stand for educational reform, this recent protest is part of a long tradition of civic activism. This wasn’t obscure or classified information. A single call to the school district or a member of the school board would have cleared it up in minutes. But outrage performs better when facts stay backstage.

That’s where Florida’s Education Commissioner, Anastasios Kamoutsas, entered the scene. Kamoutsas, a hand-picked appointee of Ron DeSantis, promptly piled on with a scolding letter to districts warning that any conduct “diverting students from instruction” could warrant disciplinary action. Citing Section 1003.44 of the Florida Statutes, which deals with student conduct and discipline, gave his words a veneer of legal authority. Strong language. Weak curiosity. No apparent effort to confirm whether the behavior he was condemning had actually occurred.

This is the DeSantis education model in miniature. Manufacture a threat. Skip verification. Issue warnings. Intimidate educators. Then move on, leaving real people to clean up the damage. The point isn’t accuracy. The point is fear. Keep principals nervous. Keep teachers quiet. Make an example of anyone who looks like they might let students think out loud. Most decent people, of course, would applaud the students for taking a stand.

Let’s be clear about what’s really offensive here. It’s not students caring enough about their world to show up. Its elected officials so hostile to civic engagement that they treat student concerns as a disciplinary problem instead of a civics lesson. Heaven forbid teenagers notice what’s happening around them. Heaven forbid they act on it — even on their own time.

What Alvarez and Owen called “deeply troubling” was, in reality, students exercising constitutional rights after class hours and school administrators doing the bare minimum required of them: keeping kids safe. What Kamoutsas labeled a threat to instruction was actually a threat to a political narrative that depends on young people staying silent.

This wasn’t leadership. It was performative grievance dressed up as oversight. Two legislators didn’t do their homework. A commissioner appointed for loyalty rather than independence amplified the error. A school principal was publicly dragged to score ideological points. That’s not protecting education. That’s abusing power because someone got butt-hurt over students who dared to care.

If Florida’s leaders want respect, here’s a radical idea: verify first. Ask questions. Make the call. Because governing by rumor, screenshots, and reflexive outrage isn’t courage. It’s incompetence. And our students, educators, and public institutions deserve better than this cheap authoritarian cosplay. To effect real change, we must channel our frustrations into action. Reach out to your local school board members, attend meetings, and support student groups advocating for their rights. Together, we can turn shared outrage into collective pressure for a more accountable and just educational system.