Robert Alvero, a member of the Clay County School Board, was noticeably absent from the Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, where he was expected to address controversial remarks he made.
In Florida, tensions have escalated as a county school board member missed a critical State Board of Education meeting, stirring conflict with the state’s Commissioner of Education.
“The most disappointing aspect of today is the example Mr. Alvero is setting for our youth,” declared Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas at Wednesday’s meeting.
Commissioner Kamoutsas had summoned Robert Alvero to explain his actions following offensive racial comments directed at the African American community during a Facebook Live session.
The now-deleted video featured Alvero stating that he has had “80% more negative experiences with the African American community compared to white people.” He further claimed that only about 20% of the Black individuals he encountered were “good decent people,” while the remaining “80%” were “nasty,” “rude,” and “problematic.”
Alvero’s comments have led to widespread demands for his resignation and have mobilized dozens of protestors and concerned residents of Clay County to recent public meetings to express their outrage.
Although Alvero was not in attendance at Wednesday’s meeting, Kamoutsas addressed him directly.
“You said something really dumb, something that was hurtful to a lot of people in your community, something that has given this board reason to want to assess your fitness to lead the students of Clay County. Ducking the consequences of your actions by refusing to stand to account before this board only furthers your lack of leadership.”
After the video gained so much attention, Alvero hired attorney Anthony Sabatini to represent him. He argues that Alvero’s comments are protected under the First Amendment.
“My client is too busy to deal with a woke state agency pushing political correctness and attempting to be the “Thought Police” from Orwell’s 1984,” Sabatini said in a new statement to First Coast News Wednesday. “The current state education board should be abolished & replaced with Floridians who respect the First Amendment.”
The possibility of consequences for Alvero remains unclear. Under Florida law, only the governor has the authority to remove an elected school board member from office. Still, Kamoutsas said Alvero not appearing undermined Florida Statute 1008.32, which gives the board authority to investigate potential noncompliance with policy and law.
“For me, this unfortunate incident is a reminder, but the legislature needs to look at this board’s authority with regard to school board members,” Kamoutsas said. “Too many have sought to elevate themselves for political reasons, disregarding their duty to educate children. And this board is unfortunately limited in its ability to demand accountability.”
First Coast News has reached out to Kamoutsas for clarity on potential next steps regarding the controversy surrounding Alvero.
