Article contributor James Soviero
A 19-year old Broward County student journalist named Kenneth Preston has been investigating “factors and individuals who share blame in the tragedy at Stoneman.” The guilty parties are not those singled out by the media and politicians. If accurate, and it appears to be, the blame clearly belongs at the feet of the school officials and their Obama-era programs.
His report can be read on Medium and on Twitter.
WHY HE DID THE RESEARCH
He became familiar with every victim and that propelled him into weeks of in-depth research. Preston searched thousands of pages of government documents and spoke with dozens of officials. His conclusion is that Superintendent Runcie and the school board failed to keep the students safe, either out of incompetence or an incentive for federal dollars. Read his research and decide for yourself. It is interesting and easy reading.
The evidence he uncovered is damning of school officials. They abandoned school security for years leading up to the massacre at Stoneman High on February 14th.
The findings refute the media’s unsubstantiated claims. Namely, that firearms, specifically the AR-15 and the NRA are to blame for the massacre.
WHAT HE FOUND
What Preston found is that in 2014, an $800 million bond was allocated to Broward County Public Schools. Of that, $100 million was earmarked directly for school safety. But many of the planned safety upgrades were delayed due to costs.
One delayed project was an improvement to the fire system at Stoneman. The fix would have allowed a delay to determine if there actually was a fire. Since the killer pulled the fire alarm, it might have saved lives. The students would not have poured out the doors, making them easy targets.
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Out of the $104,325,821 allocated for school safety, only $5,584,512 — 5 percent — was spent.
Additionally, the Obama-era school behavioral programs, including the Promise Program and the Behavior Intervention Program, allowed troubled, violent students like the killer to escape punishment.
“After weeks of research, searching through thousands of pages of government documents, and speaking with dozens of officials, I have come to the conclusion that Superintendent Runcie and members of the school board have failed at their essential role in keeping our students safe. Whether that’s because of incompetence or the incentive of federal dollars is for you to decide,” Preston wrote in an article outlining his findings.
“Ultimately, no matter what laws pass, the extent, or how infrequent these shootings become, if the people who were complicit in facilitating an environment in which something like this could occur don’t face consequences, then there is no justice,” he wrote.
Predictably Superintendent Robert Runcie called this detailed and well-researched probe “fake news”.
“Superintendent Runcie called an article referencing this report ‘fake news’ and recommended anyone interested in facts should look to Florida TaxWatch, an independent organization tasked with overseeing the distribution of the money. I reached out to Florida Taxwatch, and Vice President of Research Robert Nave has told me that my numbers are correct,” Preston wrote in his article.
It is interesting to note that “Mr. Runcie was demoted from his position at CPS for undisclosed reasons. That was just three months before becoming Broward’s Superintendent in 2011,” Preston wrote.
Preston also outlined his findings in tweets:
If you read the next thread, you can get the details.
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
Listen to this one clip:
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
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