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"The Florida Department of Education recently received correspondence from members of the Florida legislature regarding reports of organized student protest activity occurring during the school day," Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas said in a letter issued Feb. 3 to Florida school districts. "I want to thank them for bringing this matter to my attention and for their leadership in elevating concerns related to student safety, instructional time, and the appropriate role of public schools."

He didn't specify which district the reports came from, but the letter came about 24 hours after posts about walkouts at high schools throughout Brevard began circulating online, prompting both School Board Chair Matt Susin and Superintendent Mark Rendell to warn students that if they participated, they would face discipline.

"While students may express their views in appropriate, lawful ways outside of the school day and off school property, disruptions to learning and campus operations will not be tolerated," Susin said in a statement posted to Brevard Public Schools' website.

Both Susin and Rendell said the walkouts were not affiliated with the district.

The letter won't change how the district will respond to walkouts, said Janet Murnaghan, chief strategic communications officer for BPS.

"Yesterday, Superintendent Dr. Mark Rendell shared a letter with families outlining the district's expectations," Murnaghan said in an email to FLORIDA TODAY. "As noted in that communication, walkouts during the instructional day are not permitted, and standard attendance and disciplinary policies will apply."

Here's what Kamoutsas said.

Students have rights but may still be disciplined

Kamoutsas reminded educators and leaders that they "carry a responsibility to safeguard instructional time;" keep campuses safe; and follow the law, Board of Education rules and school board policies.

Still, he added that students have a constitutional right to free expression, adding that this includes the ability to participate in peaceful protests if "such expression complies with applicable law and school district policy."

"Any student whose actions are to the contrary should be appropriately disciplined," he said. "Districts have a responsibility to ensure that any protest activity does not interrupt instructional time, school operations and campus safety."

He went on to say that adults may not encourage, promote, organize or otherwise facilitate student participation in protests during the school day, and that conduct that distracts or undermines instruction could warrant discipline.

Additionally, he cited a Florida Board of Education rule that requires educators to "take reasonable precautions to distinguish between personal views and those of any educational institution or organization with which the individual is affiliated."

Addressing parents, he encouraged families to have conversations with students about the "importance of not allowing civic engagement to detract from time in the classroom."

Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker atfwalker@floridatoday.com. X:@_finchwalker.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today:Florida's education head sends guidance on ICE protests

NEED TO KNOW

• A family saved a baby from a burning building in Milwaukee on Sunday, Feb. 1

• Neighbor Anthone Medina waited on the ground to catch the baby as he was lowered to safety in a car seat carrier held up by what appeared to be a tow strap

• The Milwaukee Fire Department saved eight people from the building, which reportedly had no sprinklers built in to fight fires

A family saved a baby from a burning building in an unconventional way in Milwaukee on Sunday, Feb. 1.

The Milwaukee Fire Department responded to the scene as the infant was lowered to safety in a car seat carrier held up by what appeared to be a tow strap, local ABC affiliateWXOWreported. "We knew there were a lot of people potentially still inside. We had people hanging from outside of windows," Milwaukee Fire Department Battalion Chief Nickolas Trost told the outlet.

The fire happened occurred near 77th and Green Tree Avenue,ABC 7 Chicagoreports. Neighbor Anthone Medina told the outlet that he assisted in the rescue, waiting on the ground to catch the baby as the flames grew.

"Since they didn't arrive immediately, we tried to save the baby's life by lowering him down with a blanket to get him to safety," Medina told ABC 7 in an interview translated from Spanish to English.

ABC 7 reports that the building had no sprinklers, citing the MFD.

Two people suffered leg injuries after jumping from the building, WXOW reports, citing the MFD.

"The heaviest part of the fire was on the first floor, in the hallway. That was a big part of this story," Trost told WXOW, while noting that residents had to use alternate escape routes due to the size of the fire. Firefighters rescued eight people, all who are expected to survive, per the outlet.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Dramatic cell phone video footage obtained by local ABC affiliateWISNshowed heavy smoke filling the building. The bulk of the fire began on the first floor, the outlet reports.

Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski told ABC 7 Chicago that several city departments are actively working to create a database that will notify dispatchers of which buildings do not have sprinkler systems to fight fires.

PEOPLE has reached out to the MFD for further comment, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Read the original article onPeople

Lemonwas one of several journalists in attendance at the Jan. 18 protest of Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Demonstratorsentered the church during a service, alleging that one of the church's pastors, David Easterwood, worked for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Videos of the protest showed demonstrators chanting "ICE out" and lead pastor Jonathan Parnell shouting, "Shame on you, this is the house of God and we are worshipping."

In a nearlyseven-hour livestreamon his YouTube channel, Lemon spoke with congregation members, protesters and one of the church's pastors.

Demonstrators have a right to assemble and exercise free speech. Journalists are allowed to cover newsworthy events. But churchgoers are also guaranteed the right to practice their religion.

"I think you could teach a course on constitutional law from all the things that have happened in Minneapolis in the last month," saidThomas Berg, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis.

First, federal agents flooded the state in what PresidentDonald Trump's administration has referred to asthe "largest immigration operation ever."

ThenICE agent Jonathan Rossshot andkilled 37-year-old Renee Nicole Goodin Minneapolis on Jan. 7, followed by Border Patrol shooting andkilling 37-year-old Alex Prettion Jan. 24. Bothshootings prompted massive protests.

The arrests of Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort for their coverage of the church demonstration came less than a week after Pretti's death.

"Every one of the five freedoms of the First Amendment are in play on the streets of Minneapolis right now," saidKen Paulson, director of Middle Tennessee State University'sFree Speech Centerand former USA TODAY editor in chief.

Line between First Amendment rights, impeding federal operations

TheTrump administration has maintainedthat its actions in the state do not threaten First Amendment rights.

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the U.S. Constitution "protects speech and peaceful assembly – not rioting" in a statement to USA TODAY on Feb. 3.

"DHS is taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters," McLaughlin said. "We remind the public that rioting is dangerous – obstructing law enforcement is a federal crime and assaulting law enforcement is a felony."

Attorney GeneralPam Bondisaidin a Jan. 8 social media postthat peaceful protest is a "sacred American right protected by the First Amendment" but that it is a federal crime to impede or attack federal law enforcement or damage federal property.

On the same day, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanchewrote in partthat law enforcement officials are not required to "gamble with their lives in the face of a serious threat of harm."

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told USA TODAY on Feb. 3 that the administration "is committed to protecting all Americans' First Amendment freedoms - whether that be worshipping in church or protesting in the streets."

At the same time, she said, those who impede federal operations or otherwise break the law "will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."

Several of those who werearrested in connection with the church protesthavedescribed their prosecutions as politically motivated.

Freedom of the Press

A slew ofpress freedom groups condemned the arrestsof Lemon and Fort, both of whom cited the First Amendment in defense of their reporting.

"The First Amendment of the Constitution protects that work for me and for countless other journalists who do what I do," Lemon told reporters outside the courthouse where he had his initial appearance,according to Politico. "I stand with all of them and I will not be silenced."

Invideo posted on her Facebook pageon Jan. 30, Fort said agents were at her door over her coverage and that she was advised by her attorney to go with them.

"I don't feel like I have my First Amendment right as a member of the press," she said.

Press freedom is not an unlimited right, and journalists are not immune from legal repercussions if they break the law in pursuing the news, experts said.

It wouldn't be unheard of for a journalist to face a trespassing charge, for example, but they said such charges are typically issued by state and local governments. It is much more unusual, they said, for the federal government to get involved.

"This is like unleashing the U.S. Army when a ... hometown patrolman could do the job," Paulson said.

He sees a "clear parallel" between the press freedom questions involved in the matter and the legal precedent that journalists generally have the right to publish classified information.

"The journalists are not breaking the law, they are accessing the information they need to share with their audience," Paulson said of the Minnesota case.

It would be harder to argue that the journalists had a First Amendment right to report on the church protest if they were found to have been collaborating with the protesters, as federal prosecutors have alleged, Berg said.

Still, the administration's actions against Lemon and Fort seem "beyond the pale," saidKatie Fallow, deputy litigation director at the Knight First Amendment Institute.

They are "part and parcel of the numerous actions by the Trump administration to curtail press freedom and target disfavored journalists," she said.

Freedom of Religion

Those who were worshiping at Cities Church when the service was disrupted also have a First Amendment right to practice their religion.

The Trump administration has also invoked theFreedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act of 1994in its efforts to prosecute journalists covering the protest.

Among other actions, the law makes illegal "intentionally injuring, intimidating or interfering with" a person attempting to seek or provide services at a reproductive health facility or place of worship. It specifies, however, that the act should not be used to "prohibit any expressive conduct – including peaceful picketing or other peaceful demonstration" protected by the First Amendment.

Trump's White House has accused past administrations ofusing the law to target religious Americans.

Days after taking office for the second time, Trump pardoned nearly two dozenanti-abortion activists. The group included individuals charged withconspiring to storm a reproductive health clinicin Washington in October 2020.  Amongtheir charges were violationsof the FACE Act.

Trump's Department of Justicealso invoked the law in its lawsuitsagainst those involved in a Pro-Palestinian demonstration outside a New Jersey synagogue in 2024.

Freedom of Speech

While the demonstrators involved in the protest have the right to free speech, "there's no First Amendment right to disrupt activities on private property," including a church, Berg said.

Experts pointed to other elements of the ongoing developments in Minnesota that implicate the freedom of speech.

There's the Trump administration's reportedinvestigation into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walzand Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in relation to a suspected conspiracy to impede federal immigration enforcement, as well as numerousclashes between federal agents and protesters.

Law enforcement's response to protests in the area "sends a chilling message to others to not engage in that kind of conduct because you might get arrested or beaten up or maybe even killed," Fallow said.

Former CNN Anchor Don Lemon has been arrested on Jan. 29, 2026, days after being present at a protest inside a Minneapolis Church. Don Lemon (left) speaks with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), following a press conference alongside alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on September 3, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Don Lemon attends the 2022 CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

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Former CNN host Don Lemon arrested. See his career in photos

Former CNN Anchor Don Lemon hasbeen arrestedon Jan. 29, 2026, days after being present at a protest inside a Minneapolis Church. Don Lemon (left) speaks with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), following a press conference alongside alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on September 3, 2025.

Courts will decide

Ultimately, the legal system will be responsible for determining whether and to what extent various parties violated the law through their actions in Minnesota.

"Courts are not a perfect forum, but they're the best place we have for sorting out people's competing assertions and basing the decision on the facts as best we can understand them," Berg, the law professor, said.

Paulson, who runs the First Amendment center, said the events in Minnesota have fostered a "renewed understanding of the importance of the First Amendment and the role it plays in keeping this country free."

"It's been a refresher for more than 300 million people," he said.

Contributing: Michael Loria and Natalie Neysa Alund

BrieAnna Frank is a First Amendment reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her atbjfrank@usatoday.com.

USA TODAY's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners.Funders do not provide editorial input.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:First Amendment rights collide with protest in a Minnesota church

Guentzel took a long pass from Nikita Kucherov just outside the blue line of the Sabres' zone, skated in and beat Colten Ellis with a low shot to extend the Lightning's winning streak to four games.

Kucherov had a four-point game with a goal and three assists. Oliver Bjorkstrand also scored and Raddysh finished with a goal and an assist. Guentzel also assisted on Kucherov's goal in the first period. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves.

Mattias Samuelsson scored twice and Josh Doan added a goal for Buffalo, which was coming off a win over Florida on Monday night and has won six of its last eight games. Ellis made 31 saves.

The teams traded goals in the first period and, after a scoreless second, each scored twice in the third.

After goals by Samuelsson and Bjorkstrand early in the third, Doan appeared to give Buffalo the edge, scoring a power-play goal with just over five minutes remaining. But, Tampa Bay took advantage of an extra skater and struck in the final seconds as Raddysh scored with 26 seconds remaining to force the extra session.

The Atlantic Division-leading Lightning were coming off a 6-5 win over Boston in an NHL Stadium Series game at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday. Tampa Bay rallied from a four-goal deficit and won that game in a shootout.

Tampa Bay was without centers Anthony Cirelli (undisclosed) and Brayden Point (lower body) and winger Nick Paul (undisclosed). Lightning coach Jon Cooper said before the game that Cirelli and Paul would also miss Thursday's game against Florida. Cirelli was replaced on Canada's Olympic roster.

Buffalo was without Zach Benson (upper body), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) and Jordan Greenway (abdomen). Luukkonen's injury will keep him off Finland's roster for the upcoming Milan Cortina Games.

Sabres: Host Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Lightning: Host Florida on Thursday.

AP NHL:https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Celtics Mavericks Basketball

Flagg scored 36 points in the rookie No. 1 pick's first meeting with the team he grew up watching because Boston was the closest NBA city to his hometown, about 200 miles south of Newport, Maine.

The 19-year-old became the first teenager with three consecutive 30-point games five nights after setting theNBA scoring record for the under-20 groupwith 49 against Charlotte. Flagg had nine rebounds and six assists.

Payton Pritchard scored 26 points for the Celtics, who were playing without Anfernee Simons.Boston acquired Nikola Vucevic for Simonsin a trade with Chicago earlier in the day, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press.

Luka Garza scored nine consecutive Boston points on 3-pointers during a 14-4 run that finished the third quarter and gave the Celtics an 86-67 lead. Garza made all four of his attempts from 3 and scored 16 points in 20 minutes.

Pritchard scored 15 points in the first half on 7-of-10 shooting, and the Celtics didn't trail again after Brown hit a tying 3-pointer and scored again from long range midway through the first quarter. Boston led by 23 points in the second half.

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Daniel Gafford had 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Mavericks despite aggravating a right ankle injury that has sidelined him for 16 games this season. Gafford exited in the second quarter but returned in the third.

Caleb Martin scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half for Dallas.

Celtics: At Houston on Wednesday to finish a quick two-game road trip in Texas.

Mavericks: San Antonio at home Thursday before visiting the Spurs on Saturday.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/NBA