The Parkland school shooter was reportedly assigned to a controversial disciplinary program contrary to previous denials by the Broward school district.
Nikolas Cruz, who opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February killing 17 people, was referred to the “PROMISE Program” for three days following an act of vandalism at Westglades Middle School in 2013, WLRN reported.
Broward school district officials admitted the fact on Sunday even though the school superintendent had said Cruz had “no connection” to the program, which allows students found guilty of certain misdemeanors to attend an alternative school to receive counseling while avoiding the criminal justice system.
I was repeatedly told that the Parkland shooter was never in the Promise Program I was asking questions about. Now it turns out that in fact he was. https://t.co/q1JTbDXoU3
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 7, 2018
District administrators were “aggressively analyzing Cruz’s records,” WLRN reported that Tracy Clark, a spokeswoman for Superintendent Robert Runcie, stated on Friday. On Sunday, the district had “confirmed” Cruz’s referral to PROMISE.
Cruz apparently was at Pine Ridge Education Center in Fort Lauderdale the day after he vandalized the middle school bathroom on Nov. 25, 2013, according to Clark, but he did not attend the program.
“It does not appear that Cruz completed the recommended three-day assignment/placement,” Clark said, adding she did not want to “speculate” as to why.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office also said Cruz didn’t attend PROMISE.
“The school board reports that there was no PROMISE program participation,” BSO representative Jack Dale said.
According to WLRN:
PROMISE has come under scrutiny after 17 people died in the Feb. 14 shooting at Stoneman Douglas, in part because one of the injured survivors is planning a lawsuit that will argue the program led school leaders to demonstrate a lax attitude toward discipline.
Runcie and school board members remain steadfastly committed to PROMISE, which was designed to limit the “school-to-prison pipeline” at a time when more kids were getting arrested in Broward schools than any other district in the state. The administrators have worked to combat what they argue is a politically motivated attack based on “misinformation” and “fake news.”
Runcie argued there is no link between PROMISE and the Parkland shooting, calling the attacks on the program “reprehensible.”
Students must commit one or more of the 13 misdemeanors listed in the PROMISE program to be eligible to attend from three to 10 days at Pine Ridge Education Center. According to Runcie, about 1,600 to 2,000 students participate in the program annually.
Stoneman Douglas freshman, Anthony Borges, is credited with saving up to 20 people while getting shot trying to shield others. After his release from the hospital last month, he and his family announced lawsuits against the Broward school district and others who they believe were negligent in preventing the shooting.
“You failed us students, teachers and parents alike on so many levels,” Borges said at a [press conference. “I want to ask you today to please end your policy and agreement that you will not arrest people committing crimes in our schools.”
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio also targeted the program back in March.
One big problem with this article today in @NYTimes the #Parkland killer was never in the “Promise” program this article touts as “model” to address racial disparity. That’s point of my inquiries, not clear where killer was in the school discipline system. https://t.co/XyEu83Ab4D
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 13, 2018
Runcie argued that students committing serious crimes are dealt with accordingly.
“The narrative out there that we have lawlessness going on in our schools … is absolutely not true,” Runcie said, according to WLRN.
“There is no intent to get rid of the PROMISE program,” School Board Member Rosalind Osgood said at a meeting last month.
The father of one of the students killed by Cruz reacted in a series of tweets to the “stunning revelation.”
Stoneman Douglas Shooter Was Assigned To Controversial Broward Discipline Program, Officials Now Say https://t.co/f53vUQZCWF
— Ryan Petty (@rpetty) May 7, 2018
This is a stunning revelation & one that flies in the face of previous statements. That the District released it on a Sunday is all the more concerning.
— Ryan Petty (@rpetty) May 7, 2018
Ryan Petty, who lost his daughter Alaina in the mass shooting, slammed the district for its lies as officials have still kept their jobs despite failing in their duty to students, teachers and their families.
However stunning, the focus should not be on any specific program. It’s the totality of District failures that must be addressed.
— Ryan Petty (@rpetty) May 7, 2018
Conflicting discipline programs within the district have created deadly chaos for our children, teachers & staff. Educators from around Broward county are sharing their stories with me. It’s heartbreaking.
— Ryan Petty (@rpetty) May 7, 2018
Even well intentioned programs are incompetently rolled out.
— Ryan Petty (@rpetty) May 7, 2018
Petty noted that children and teachers are “still at risk.”
The definition of success for many of these programs created perverse incentives for school staff, administrators & law enforcement.
— Ryan Petty (@rpetty) May 7, 2018
Best practices for threat assessment were not in place in Broward schools. In fact many discipline programs were in direct conflict with established best practices. Our children and teachers are still at risk.
— Ryan Petty (@rpetty) May 7, 2018
The Broward County School Board has failed in its responsibility as an oversight body. It has forgotten its duty to students, educators and parents.
— Ryan Petty (@rpetty) May 7, 2018
We must continue to shine a disinfecting light on the Broward County Schools. Parents must have the information they need to protect their children and to ensure Broward schools deliver the education they promise.
— Ryan Petty (@rpetty) May 7, 2018
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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