A handful of students from Stoneman Douglas High School were elevated by the national media because they were quick to call for gun control and attack the NRA, but this effort has distracted from looking closer to home for answers to a shooting that claimed 17 lives.
The media has shown little interest in accurately reporting on a failure to keep the students safe, but a local student journalist, Kenneth Preston, has made a damning case against Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie and the school board — only to be met with attempts to intimidate and silence him.
Preston took advantage of social media to shine a light on this campaign, sharing a video of his remarks before the Broward County School Board — Preston’s effort has resulted in a ton of accolades online.
That a 19-year-old student journalist pulled this feat off should be a source of shame for the “professionals.”
“Parkland parents, students, I went to the Broward School Board to seek answers for the potential negligence by Superintendent and Board prior to the tragedy at Stoneman,” the caption read. “Instead of addressing our concerns, they prevented us from speaking.”
Parkland parents, students, I went to the Broward School Board to seek answers for the potential negligence by Superintendent and Board prior to the tragedy at Stoneman. Instead of addressing our concerns, they prevented us from speaking. Read on to understand why. pic.twitter.com/Ppomdtl3BA
— Kenneth Preston (@kennethrpreston) April 27, 2018
In a series of tweets, Preston shared a comprehensive report exposing that over $100 million in school safety funds have gone unspent since 2014. He also highlighted an agreement between the school board and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office that keeps violent students — such as the gunman who opened fire at the school — out of jail.
This information coming on the same day the Broward County Sheriff’s union cast an overwhelming no-confidence vote against Sheriff Scott Israel, 534 – 94, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
The program lowered student arrests “by reshaping school discipline,” Preston said, placing troubled students into “rehabilitation programs” instead of jail.
3) Over the last month, I’ve dug through thousands of government document pages and interviewed dozens of people. I found evidence of two things: over $100m in school safety funds that have gone unspent and policies that keep violent students (like 18-1958) out of jail.
— Kenneth Preston (@kennethrpreston) April 27, 2018
5) In a tweet, Superintendent @RobertwRuncie called our report "fake news" and suggested we contact @FloridaTaxWatch, an independent group tasked with helping to oversee the distribution of the money. So I did. FL TaxWatch VP of Research Bob Nave agreed with my numbers. pic.twitter.com/hjo256j3vt
— Kenneth Preston (@kennethrpreston) April 27, 2018
7) When Stoneman's fire alarm sounded, students fled from their classrooms directly into the path of the shooter. The "positive alarm sequence" would have kept the alarm from sounding for up to three minutes if it was determined there was no fire, and in this case, there wasn't.
— Kenneth Preston (@kennethrpreston) April 27, 2018
9) In a meeting with Runcie & officials, I was told the system wasn't invented when the money was allocated and that it wasn't suggested until last year. However, the tech has existed since the 80s, and the Fmr Dir. of School Safety recommended a similar system years ago. pic.twitter.com/fppWs1vN5K
— Kenneth Preston (@kennethrpreston) April 27, 2018
12) In 2013, @browardschools and @browardsheriff signed an agreement to consider alternatives to arrest when dealing with student misconduct. On the agreement's list, it says that if a crime constitutes a felony, the officer may "consider" placing the student under arrest. pic.twitter.com/dFuJOkyo5J
— Kenneth Preston (@kennethrpreston) April 27, 2018
13) This agreement was part of an effort to lower student arrests by reshaping school discipline. As a result, troubled students who previously would have been reported to police are now entered into “rehabilitation programs.” Within years, Broward’s arrest rate plummeted. pic.twitter.com/d2JptAlPBW
— Kenneth Preston (@kennethrpreston) April 27, 2018
14) Even if students aren’t enrolled in these programs, school admins aren’t required to report potentially dangerous students to law enforcement. The current discipline matrix gives administration complete discretion to decide “appropriate consequences” for student misbehavior. pic.twitter.com/YtoI4VEPJI
— Kenneth Preston (@kennethrpreston) April 27, 2018
Preston presents recent examples of how these progressive programs leave students at great risk.
16) More recently, two students from Flanagan High claimed that a fellow student was threatening to kill over 20 people. The student was briefly suspended and allowed to return back to campus alongside the students he threatened to kill. The list goes on. pic.twitter.com/9FC8VoZkrI
— Kenneth Preston (@kennethrpreston) April 27, 2018
18) After I presented this info, the Superintendent and Board took time to defend themselves instead of allowing survivors to speak. The Superintendent praised music, athletic and tech programs, but failed to acknowledge that all of those programs were prioritized over safety.
— Kenneth Preston (@kennethrpreston) April 27, 2018
With Preston exposing the rank hypocrisy of some of the board members, it’s more understandable why they are not eager to give him a voice.
19) Board Member @ReverendRos went as far as to suggest that our inquiry into these concerns was an exploitation of bloodshed for “personal gain”. She’s the same board member who removed her kids from the school district over “safety concerns.” pic.twitter.com/on4nIjn5vZ
— Kenneth Preston (@kennethrpreston) April 27, 2018
And in his conclusion, the 19-year-old student journalist makes it clear the gunman alone is responsible for his actions, but that does not absolve local officials for their own failings.
Preston pointed out that “there hasn’t been a single change in leadership.” He also makes it clear that he is not finished.
21) Despite these failures, there hasn't been a single change in leadership. Parkland and this community deserve leaders who put our children first. In the coming weeks, we'll announce our plans to do exactly that. We have mourned, we have marched, and now we mobilize.
— Kenneth Preston (@kennethrpreston) April 27, 2018
The impressive reporting earned the praise of Hunter Pollack, who lost his sister, Meadow, in the February shooting.
Pollack joined the call for real accountability.
“My good friend @kennethrpreston just showed the world that our Sheriff and @RobertwRuncie do not put the safety of students first. Policy that allows violent students to stay in school cost 17 lives, and can potentially cause more lives to be taken. REPEAL THEM #FIXIT.”
https://twitter.com/PollackHunter/status/989670686057693184
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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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