Education Commissioner Anastasios “Stasi” Kamoutsas wants the 1,500 employees at the state Department of Education in Tallahassee to start their days just as Florida students do:
With the Pledge of Allegiance.
The recently-begun practice began at 9 a.m. Aug. 18 with the pledge broadcast over the public address system for the Turlington Building, the department’s headquarters.
And it’s been happening daily ever since.
“This will start our day with reflection, patriotism, and gratitude for the blessings of our country and those who serve our nation,” said Molly Best, a spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis, when asked about the pledge broadcasts. DeSantis recommended Kamoutsas, who had been his deputy chief of staff, for the commissioner’s job.
As Kamoutsas said at a Aug. 20 State Board of Education meeting, the building-wide recitation of the pledge was sparked by next year’s 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding with the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
“We recently started a new tradition where we invited folks who wanted to voluntarily participate in the Pledge of Allegiance to do so every morning at the department,” he said. “I know we have American flags in the background of computer screens as well, to really honor the sacrifices of so many veterans who have contributed to this country.
“I know Vice Chair (Esther) Byrd also is one of those veterans, and so we thank you for your service and Florida is the most military-friendly state,” he added. Byrd served in the U.S. Marine Corps. “And we are going to remain the most military-friendly state and we are going to honor those who sacrifice so much for our freedom.”
The daily broadcasts, though, are making some DOE employees who contacted the USA TODAY NETWORK uncomfortable. They question whether the pledge booming out of speakers at their work forces them to participate in a public display of patriotism that infringes on their free speech rights.
In a recording of one broadcast shared with a reporter, the speaker says, “Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. If you have a flag in your office, please face it. If not, please face the flag at the state Capitol,” which is two blocks north.
The speaker then recites the pledge, but never directs anyone to repeat after him.
In a memo to employees, Steve Koncar – Kamoutsas’ chief of staff – said the pledge would be led “by a military veteran from our staff each morning.”
The pledge “will start our day with reflection, patriotism, and gratitude for the blessings of our country and those who serve our nation,” he said, echoing Best.
Kamoutsas comes out fighting for traditional values
The concerns happened to emerge after Kamoutsas’ first few weeks on the job included two incidents that went viral and pitted First Amendment rights of parents against those of classroom educators.
Shortly after being named to the post in June, Kamoutsas barred a Brevard County school teacher from the classroom for using a pronoun a student’s parents hadn’t approved.
Also, the Alachua County School Board was threatened with mandatory First Amendment training and funding cuts after a parent was asked to leave a school board meeting for what members said was “disruptive” behavior while making a public comment. Kamoutsas said the board should be monitored through the remainder of the school year to ensure there are no free speech violations.
Back in Tallahassee, having the Pledge of Allegiance broadcast every morning on DOE’s public address system does not appear to implicate the First Amendment. Reciting the pledge is not mandatory, as established by the U.S. Supreme Court in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943).
The department’s new tradition is in line with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump “to promote patriotic education” that Trump has said should be the underpinning of American history classes.
Federal law says the pledge should be “rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform, men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart.
“Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute. Members of the Armed Forces not in uniform and veterans may render the military salute in the manner provided for persons in uniform.”
The Pledge of Allegiance was written in August 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, according to USHistory.org, and has undergone several revisions since.
“In 1954, in response to the Communist threat of the times, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words ‘under God,’ creating the 31-word pledge we say today,” the site says.
In the recent recording, the person concludes by saying, “Thank you and have a wonderful day. God bless.”
Full text of the Pledge of Allegiance
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com and is on X as @CallTallahassee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: New commissioner brings Pledge of Allegiance to Florida Department of Education HQ
Reporting by James Call, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
