Feb. 14 (UPI) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has asked for a grand jury investigation into school safety measures in Broward County, where 17 people died in the Parkland shooting attack a year ago.
DeSantis announced the request Wednesday, surrounded by relatives of those killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. A grand jury could issue subpoenas, look for potential failures and determine how the Broward district allocated resources for campus safety. It could also explore whether school officials diverted bond funds that were “solicited for school safety initiatives.”
“Although protecting our students is a perpetual process, there are steps we can take immediately to improve safety in our schools,” DeSantis said in a statement. “While we cannot bring back the innocents we lost, we can honor their memory by learning from the mistakes that were made and resolving to swiftly correct all those within our control.”
Nikolas Cruz, a former MSD student, confessed to killing 13 students and four faculty members in the Feb. 14, 2018, Parkland attack. He could face the death penalty.
Many problems the grand jury could investigate were brought to light by local news reports, including the discovery of $55 million in school safety funds that were rejected in 2013. School safety initiatives were promised but never took place and Florida districts often hid crimes that occurred on campuses, the reports said.
A grand jury would not, however, be able to remove Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie from office, as many grieving parents have asked. Runcie said he supports a statewide grand jury investigation.
“I agree with Gov. DeSantis for wanting to know how all school districts in Florida manage money and security issues that impact school safety,” Runcie said in a statement. “Broward County Public Schools welcomes any review or investigation that could result in improved safety and security in our own district and school districts across the state. What we learn individually and from each other will make us all better and will benefit our students and teachers.”
“The district is spiraling out of control,” Lori Alhadeff, who won a seat on the Broward County School Board after her daughter died in the Parkland shooting, said. “There has been a long history of incompetence of Superintendent Runcie. All I ever wanted was the truth justice and change.”
The Education Department and Department of Juvenile Justice will also work together to review the PROMISE program, which Cruz was part of when he attended MSD. The goal is to determine whether the program is effective and what impact it has on school safety.
Survivors of the Parkland attack, relatives and advocates have demanded accountability at every level. The March for Our Lives national gun control campaign rallied young people after the shooting and influenced nearly 70 gun-related Florida laws passed in 2018 — the most since the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut.
Parkland also ignited the ongoing debate about whether teachers should be armed. Broward schools rejected state funding for that purpose, opting instead to hire more armed officers.
MSD added more security and resource officers and more gates and locking hardware. A total of 52 new security cameras were added at the school and the number of entrances was limited to four. Students there must wear identification at all times.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.