Robert Runcie, superintendent of Broward County Public Schools, went on the record on Monday after a bombshell report by WLRN that exposed how the school district was caught lying about MSDHS shooter Nikolas Cruz’s referred to the controversial alternative disciplinary program known as PROMISE.
Broward schools superintendent @RobertwRuncie was forced to address tonight the revelation by @WLRN that the Parkland gunman in middle school was referred to the district’s Promise disciplinary program. Runcie had previously insisted Promise had nothing to do with Nikolas Cruz
— Patricia Mazzei (@PatriciaMazzei) May 7, 2018
Runcie said he didn’t really lie about Cruz, but he did say this has put a “dent in our credibility”:
“It does put a dent in our credibility, but what I'll say is that what we're trying to do is balance being as responsive as we can with the information that we have.” https://t.co/fVS0fYIpkv
— David Smiley (@NewsbySmiley) May 8, 2018
Well, duh. 17 dead students will do that.
More from Runcie’s interview with the Miami News Times where he blames “messy records” for his past misstatements:
Broward schools Superintendent Robert Runcie insists the school district gave the best information it had on Nikolas Cruz's Promise involvement at the time, says there was no intent to mislead https://t.co/nxedin87Zi
— Brittany Shammas (@britsham) May 7, 2018
Later, at the public forum, officials continued to support the PROMISE program saying things like, “be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater”:
"Be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater," says Judge Steve Teske, who pioneered reforms in Georgia and supported Broward's work. "Please be careful. Because if you do, don't expect your graduation rates to continue going up. I can tell you that right now."
— Brittany Shammas (@britsham) May 7, 2018
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There are 17 dead kids because a habitual offender wasn’t arrested and they’re talking about graduation rates?
Representatives from across Broward's criminal justice system are delivering impassioned defenses of Promise, praising it as a way to improve graduation rates and help struggling kids.
— Brittany Shammas (@britsham) May 7, 2018
Honestly, if these idiots thought Cruz’s past actions merited placement in the program, it’s doomed:
"Promise is a work in progress, but I firmly believe that it is a wonderful tool as long as the right behaviors and the right children are being referred to the program," said Maria Schneider, the prosecutor in charge of the juvenile unit at the Broward State Attorney's Office.
— Brittany Shammas (@britsham) May 7, 2018
What do we want? How about, violent teens prosecuted for the crimes no matter if they happen on campus or not? Is that clear enough?
"When we get into this discussion tonight and you say, 'I'm against Promise,' tell us what you're really asking for and what you're going to really get if you don't have this program," says Frank Adderley, a colonel with BSO. "Because a lot of people who say theyre against this..
— Brittany Shammas (@britsham) May 8, 2018
… program have absolutely no clue what they're asking for."
— Brittany Shammas (@britsham) May 8, 2018
Parents weren’t happy, to say the least:
"I beg you all, school district, BSO and all community leaders, just tell us what's going on and be truthful," says parent Celia Randolph. "Because you're building mistrust. We don't know what to believe."
— Brittany Shammas (@britsham) May 8, 2018
Wait. This wasn’t being done?
Almost two hours after the meeting was set to conclude, Runcie offers closing comments. He outlines next steps:
– sending letters to principals and school administrators reiterating that all discipline incidents must be reported & interventions provided to victims and offenders
— Brittany Shammas (@britsham) May 8, 2018
And there was no annual audit of the program?
– asking audit department to review discipline processes as part of annual work
– asking school board for authority to create a climate and discipline department to help schools deal with challenges
– continuing to take comments and suggestions to improve and refine Promise— Brittany Shammas (@britsham) May 8, 2018
"Because at the end of the day we just want one outcome: we want to provide a great educational opportunity for every single student that's in Broward County."
— Brittany Shammas (@britsham) May 8, 2018
With all that said, Miami-based filmmaker Billy Corben points out that Runcie has been caught lying before so there’s really no reason to believe what he’s saying now:
Except @RobertwRuncie has been caught in a fib before. Last December, he lied about @BrowardSchools suing an 8-year-old autistic boy after they "violated his federally protected right to an education (his tweet proven false by the board's own court docs) https://t.co/rygSiAvBsg
— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) May 7, 2018
Gov. Rick Scott is urging further investigation by the state’s commission on the shooting:
John Tupps, spox for @FLGovScott says the governor is urging the state's Parkland commission to review Broward Schools' PROMISE program. Scott's office says "the school district should have been more forthcoming with the public." https://t.co/1B0HbMkmhH
— David Smiley (@NewsbySmiley) May 7, 2018
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Related:
Father of murdered MSDHS student RIPS Broward County Schools after new BOMBSHELL report on Nikolas Cruz and the PROMISE program https://t.co/bngBFFItJY
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) May 7, 2018
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