The Florida Department of Education on Friday sent a scathing letter to Alachua County School Board Chair Sarah Rockwell in response to her now-deleted social media post celebrating the death of Hulk Hogan as “one less MAGA,” and the board’s attempt to silence a parent at Thursday’s school board meeting.

“Your recent unprofessional conduct has been brought to my attention. You made disparaging comments about the death of a conservative public figure, leading the public to lose confidence in your ability to treat all students and families fairly,” Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas wrote in a letter exclusively obtained by Breitbart News.

“That concern has now been reaffirmed by your decision to allow the rights of a parent defending a conservative position to be violated at the July 31, 2025, Alachua County School Board Meeting,” he continued. “Your conduct during this meeting was inexcusable. You should be ashamed of your failure as a board member, let alone the board chair,”

At the meeting, a parent — now identified as Jeremy Clepper — called on Rockwell to resign over her comments about WWE superstar Hogan. Rockwell made a comment saying: “Oh, did Hulk die? I didn’t even know. Good. One less MAGA in the world.” The comment went viral before she deleted it, and Rockwell has since issued an apology for her “cruel and flippant comment.”

“Rockwell, you cheered for the death of MAGA. You don’t have to be a member of MAGA. I’m not a member of MAGA. I have loved ones and friends that are — and you cheered for that,” Clepper said, according to a video of the meeting post to social media. “You didn’t apologize, that’s such back-stepping. You’re a PhD. Aren’t you highly educated woman that knows the exact meaning behind her words? Aren’t you? You know what you said, and you should step down. You’re a disgusting, vile human being.” 

After Clepper criticized Rockwell, another board member appeared to call on law enforcement to remove him from the meeting. As an officer approached Clepper, the school board backtracked and said their attorney advised them to not have him removed.

 

Kamoutsas wrote:

Let me be clear, by publicly humiliating this parent for his views, you’ve created a chilling effect on all parents with similar beliefs. You’ve signaled that certain viewpoints are not welcome in Alachua County Public Schools, and that should alarm every family in your district.

Between your public comments and your actions last night, your lack of judgment and poor decision making has brought negative attention to Alachua County Public Schools on a national level. That is not fair to the teachers who are working hard to educate their students, and it is certainly not fair to the families and students you purport to serve.

Rockwell Alachua County Letter by Breitbart News on Scribd

Kamoutsas concluded by informing Rockwell he has “found probable cause that a violation of state law has occurred” as a result of the school board “publicly fail[ing] to ensure free expression of all viewpoints during public comment.”

He further said he is recommending the State Board of Education withhold  from the district “an amount equal to the salaries of all board members.” Kamoutsas is also requiring Rockwell to attend a meeting on August 20 with the state board to “demonstrate your compliance with state law.”

“Lastly, I understand you previously held a Florida teaching certificate. I strongly recommend that you not apply for renewal,” he added.

“Under Rule 6A-10.081, Florida Administrative Code, Florida educators must uphold the principles of ethical conduct and demonstrate the maturity and professional judgment necessary to work with children,” he continued. “Considering I will not permit you to hold a Florida teaching certificate, I think it’s time for some reflection on whether you are properly equipped to serve on the Alachua County School Board.”

When reached for comment, director of communications for Alachua County Public Schools Jackie Johnson said, “Everyone who requested to speak at the School Board meeting was able to do so. Regardless of their expressed viewpoint, no one was required to leave the meeting. It is our belief that everyone’s First Amendment rights were upheld.”

On Saturday, Rockwell posted an apology for her Hogan comments to her official school board Facebook account:

A few days ago, I made a cruel and flippant comment from my personal Facebook account on a friend’s post regarding the death of Hulk Hogan. I deeply regret making that comment and have since removed it. I want to make it very clear that I never have and never will wish harm on anyone regardless of whether we share political views. While I strongly disagree with some of the comments Hulk Hogan made, that is no excuse for my comment.

I also sincerely apologize for the way my comment has eroded confidence in my ability to represent all students, families, and staff in Alachua County. I want to assure all of you that the best interests of our children and our public schools are at the center of everything I do as a board member. I hope I have shown that by my record of advocacy for children, families, and staff members throughout Alachua County.

She concluded, “Again, I apologize for the hurt and distrust I have caused with my insensitive comment. I will continue to do the hard work of putting our children and schools first. I hope that I can earn back your trust.”

This story has been updated to include a comment from Alachua County Public Schools.

Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.