Florida judge recommends dismissing misconduct case against teacher

A Florida judge has recommended the dismissal of a misconduct case against Kelly Brock-Sanchez, a Clay County teacher, regarding a social media post following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

In an October 21 ruling, Division of Administrative Hearings Judge Suzanne Van Wyk determined that the Florida Department of Education failed to prove Brock-Sanchez violated agency rules. The Department of Education had sought to discipline the Ridgeview Elementary School teacher, potentially revoking her certificate, arguing that her Facebook post was made on a public platform.

However, the judge found that Brock-Sanchez had posted to a private Facebook account under the name ‘Kelly SteelMagnolia.’ The ruling noted that while the post eventually went viral after being shared by a friend, the teacher did not make the decision to disseminate the content widely. The judge stated that the consequences of the post being shared on public accounts cannot be attributed to the teacher.