Broward School District Makes Explosive Admission About Parkland Shooter
The Broward County school district has dropped a bombshell by admitting that Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz was part of a controversial restorative justice program, despite having previously stated he had no connection to it.
Spokesman for the school district, Tracy Clark, stated that Cruz was put in the PROMISE program after he vandalized a bathroom in November of 2013.
According to records, Cruz did not complete the full program.
The disclosure, which came after two other sources told WLRN that Mr. Cruz had been admitted to PROMISE, directly contradicts statements by Broward County Superintendent Robert Runcie, who has long defended the program and insisted the gunman was never part of it.
The school district is holding a forum Monday night on PROMISE — which stands for Preventing Recidivism through Opportunities, Mentoring, Interventions, Supports and Education — enacted to end the “school-to-prison pipeline” by reducing suspensions, expulsions and arrests.
About 1,600 to 2,000 students participate each year in PROMISE, which is aimed at offering counseling and therapy to students who have committed nonviolent infractions.
Launched in 2013, PROMISE was at the forefront of a national movement that culminated in the Obama administration’s 2014 directive on school discipline, which threatened school districts with civil-rights investigations unless they reduced racial disparities in school discipline.
The fact this school district openly, blatantly lied about Cruz’s involvement with this program is horrifying on every level. It’s a clear cut case of putting a political agenda above the safety and security of students, revealing that the current public school system is more concerned with indoctrination than with making sure kids get a well balanced education in a peaceful environment.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is currently toying with the idea of removing the program after receiving a heap of complaints about it causing serious issues for schools who have been put under pressure to lower suspension and expulsion rates by keeping troubled students in class.
Let’s hope the individuals who lied about this are held accountable for their actions and their jobs stripped away from them.
Source: The Washington Times
