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Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission - Discipline programs draw Parkland panel's scrutiny

Stuart News - 6/8/2018

"What looks good on paper, what sells good publicly, is not really what's happening on the ground."

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd

Broward County school officials still can't explain how the Parkland shooter slipped through the cracks after never showing up for alternative school.

The commission investigating the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School spent hours Thursday probing student-diversion programs, and Broward's PROMISE program in particular.

Commission members from law enforcement asked how they could be left in the dark as some offenses that lead students to these programs go unreported to them, creating a lapse in information sharing that could be crucial.

Diversion programs such as PROMISE – an acronym for Preventing Recidivism through Opportunities, Mentoring, Interventions, Support and Education – are designed to steer students who commit low-risk offenses away from legal consequences.

These programs have been thrust into the spotlight since the massacre in Parkland after Broward County officials revealed the gunman, Nikolas Cruz, was assigned to PROMISE but never enrolled.

School officials provided little clarity on Thursday how this occurred.

Students who fail to show up for PROMISE, which is housed at a separate site, receive a court summons, Mickey Pope, executive director of student support initiatives with the Broward County School District, told commissioners. They are told to appear at the program or face legal consequences, Pope said.

That apparently didn't happen with Cruz, but officials couldn't explain why.

"In 2013 we didn't have the electronic processes we have in place now," Pope told the commission. "I don't know that I can specifically speak to Nikolas Cruz and the situation that occurred with him."

Pope defended the PROMISE program, but admitted the district is open to making changes.

Commissioners had their doubts about the program's performance,and the data provided by Pope. Specifically, commissioners questioned how PROMISE produced favorable outcomes compared to out-of-school suspensions.

"We believe PROMISE is having this impact, but we don't know for sure," said Ryan Petty, a commission member whose daughter, Aliana, was killed by Cruz.

The PROMISE program did, however, create a higher standard for input from law enforcement regarding student infractions.

Prior to PROMISE, numerous violations, including fighting and vandalism, never required a consultation with law enforcement, Pope said.

Now, most transgressions that can lead to enrollment in the program require the authorities be involved.

A presentation from the Florida Department of Education on Thursday showed commissioners exactly which crimes must be reported to law enforcement: battery, homicide, kidnapping, sexual battery and weapons possession.

For countless other crimes – including drug sales, sexual assault, robbery and hazing – schools only are "expected" to involve law enforcement, according to the state.

Some commissioners were taken aback by the ambiguity behind these rules. They suggested schools might not report certain crimes to pad statistics.

It's a concern the commission likely needs to address, said Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, its chairman.

By not reporting certain crimes, schools can make it more difficult for police to get the full picture of a student they need in order to investigate, said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

"What looks good on paper, what sells good publicly, is not really what's happening on the ground," Judd said.

Although Thursday's discussions were dominated by diversion programs, commissioners also touched on school safety plans and practices to thwart active shooters.

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission was established this spring as part of Senate Bill 7026.

The commission is charged with investigating the life of Cruz, probing the school's defenses and Broward County's policies and gauging how law enforcement responded.

Its findings are due to lawmakers by Jan. 1.

The commission is to reconvenes at 8 a.m. Friday in Sunrise. The meeting can be streamed live at thefloridachannel.org.

"What looks good on paper, what sells good publicly, is not really what's happening on the ground."

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd