Leon principal seeks to oust Democratic superintendent over parental rights criticisms

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Lawton Chiles High School Principal Joe Burgess launched a campaign to oust Leon County Superintendent of Schools Rocky Hanna, a Democrat.

Burgess, who has worked in the Leon County school district for 25 years, is running as a No Party Affiliate candidate, or NPA.

“Under the current administration, over 50% of Leon County schools are ‘C’ or ‘D’ graded, and that is unacceptable,” Burgess told Florida’s Voice. “We cannot pat ourselves on the back while so many of our schools and students are not able to achieve proficiency like their peers within their school and in the District.”

“My commitment to Leon County students and their parents or guardians is to change this statistic,” he said. “I have personally led ‘A’ schools and have been a turnaround principal, leading a school from a ‘C’ grade to an ‘A’ grade, so I know firsthand the work we need to do to make these changes.”

Hanna has held his seat since he succeeded in ousting the incumbent Democratic superintendent as an NPA candidate in 2016. He defeated Democrat Pam Hightower during his reelection bid in 2020 with nearly 60% of the vote.

When registering for the 2024 election, Hanna switched his party affiliation to Democrat.

Ever since the rise of prominent parental rights activist groups like Moms for Liberty, the superintendent has shied away from cracking down on school library material that the organizations deem inappropriate for young children, despite the Florida Legislature’s action on removing the content from school shelves.

Hanna opposed the K-3 Parental Rights in Education Act and defied Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ban on mask mandates in schools across the state.

Burgess said he encourages parents and guardians to be involved and “highly engaged” in their child’s education.

“When parents and guardians have a voice, students perform better,” he said. “We must foster an environment for our students that includes diverse and comprehensive reading and learning materials that are age appropriate.”

“As superintendent, I look forward to engaging in an open dialogue with parents and guardians, teachers, students, and community members to determine what is best for our children,” he said.

Hanna took action in July by removing five sexually explicit books that were on school shelves after continuous pressure from Leon County Moms for Liberty.

Additionally, in order to comply with new state policy, Hanna and the Leon County School Board were put in a position where they had to form a committee made up of parents, educators and media specialists that would help review challenged library material. The motion to create the committee passed 4-1 with Chair Rosanne Wood holding the one opposing vote.

On top of the superintendent race, the Leon County Democratic Party has openly called for a candidate to run against Board Member Laurie Cox.

“Tallahassee is a progressive city,” the Leon Democratic Party said on social media. ”Rural redneck ‘Moms for Liberty’ Republican values should not decide our local affairs.”

During an interview with Florida’s Voice, Cox said she disagreed with the assumptions made by the party.

“I feel like Leon County, they are hardworking people,” Cox said. “We have some amazing schools in our district, we have amazing things happening in our schools.”

“I am not in Moms for Liberty,” she added. “I have a lot of friends that are in Moms for Liberty, but I also have friends and supporters that may not align with with them.”

Kyle Frost, an aide to Democratic Leon County Commissioner Brian Welch, said that “lumping rural rednecks” into one group is not a welcoming look for the party.