Florida News

New state education commissioner prioritizes parents' right on first day on the job

WLRN Public Media | By Natalie La Roche Pietri

Published July 15, 2025 at 7:10 AM CDT

Anastasios Kamoutsas reacts to being selected as the next commissioner of education during a Florida State Board of Education meeting at Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus park on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in Miami, Fla.

Beginning his tenure as Florida's Commissioner of Education, Anastasios Kamoutsas emphasized policies and guidelines aligned with so-called "parental rights and protections" in a memorandum to education leaders.

The letter sent to superintendents and charter school leaders outline state laws aimed at parents' rights, including requiring that parents have access to review all instructional materials used in the classroom.

In the letter, Kamoutsas directs school chiefs to make sure employees know the laws regarding parental rights. He also directs superintendents to distribute the letter to parents to ensure they "remain informed and engaged in the education of their children."

Along with the letter, Kamoutsas is reminding superintendents, principals and administrators of the 2023 state legislation Teachers' Bill of Rights, which grants teachers the authority to set their own classroom rules and the consequences for not following them.

"School principals are reminded that these are not optional practices. They are requirements under the law..." Kamoutsas wrote. "As Commissioner, I will exercise my full authority to ensure school principals uphold teachers' rights and that superintendents and charter school leaders prioritize this within their districts."

Today, I sent memos to Florida’s teachers, parents and school leadership to ensure that Parental Rights are at the forefront of education decisions and to let our teachers know that they have my full support in the classroom to create productive learning environments for our… https://t.co/PSBydfTZZf
— Anastasios Kamoutsas (@StasiKamoutsas) July 14, 2025

Another DeSantis pick for Commissioner of Education

Kamoutsas, who helped champion and carry out a massive expansion of school-choice programs, is Gov. Ron DeSantis' third appointee to lead the Department of Education.

Kamoutsas served as general counsel and chief of staff at the Florida Department of Education before becoming deputy chief of staff to DeSantis.

He was appointed as the commissioner of education in June after previous Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. was appointed to be the Interim President of the University of West Florida.