The Florida Department of Education has established a dedicated complaint process for parents, students and others to report alleged violations of religious expression rights in public schools, including suppression of voluntary prayer, following updated federal guidance issued last month.
In a letter dated March 17, 2026, and distributed to parents, Education Commissioner Anastasios “Stasi” Kamoutsas reaffirmed the state’s commitment to constitutional protections for religious expression.
The measure directs individuals to submit complaints via email to FLFaith@fldoe.org, where staff in the Office of Academically Successful & Resilient Districts will promptly review and investigate each submission.
“Florida will continue to safeguard the longstanding constitutional protections for voluntary prayer and religious expression in our public schools,” Kamoutsas wrote in the letter, which was also sent to school district superintendents and charter school leaders.
The guidance emphasizes that students, teachers and other school employees retain rights to individual prayer and religious speech, provided it does not disrupt school operations or coerce others. Examples include grading religious content in essays on the same standards as secular material and treating religious student groups equally to non-religious ones.
The new process aligns with February 2026, updated guidance from the U.S. Department of Education, which replaces prior Biden-era directives and expands affirmations of protected religious activities in public schools. Florida officials will investigate complaints, communicate with complainants and districts, and report findings—along with any related lawsuits against local education agencies—to the federal department.
The initiative comes amid ongoing national debates over the balance between religious freedoms and separation of church and state in education. Kamoutsas urged districts to inform staff and distribute the attached parental letter to ensure awareness of these rights.
No specific timeline for complaint resolutions was detailed in the announcement, and the department has not released data on anticipated volume of submissions as of March 23, 2026. The full letter and related federal guidance are available on the Florida Department of Education website.The Florida Department of Education has established a dedicated complaint process for parents, students and others to report alleged violations of religious expression rights in public schools, including suppression of voluntary prayer, following updated federal guidance issued last month.
