by James S. Soviero and Sara Noble
I thought I knew about all there was to know about the stunning failure of bureaucrats to protect Parkland School students from Nikolas Cruz, until reading this!
I’m pretty sure, given our history in this field, you will be as stunned and infuriated as I am.
Everyone needs to hear Mr. Pollack’s expose’, especially given the increased pressure to not discipline “acting out students!”
Andrew Pollack, the father of the slain Meadow Pollack, has written a book with Max Eden titled, “Why Meadow Died: The People and Policies that Created the Parkland Shooter and Endanger America’s Students.” It goes deep into the tragedy of Parkland and tells the astonishing story of a deranged student shooter who was enabled by a school district.
The NY Post explains that gun control activists took over the narrative and it was left to Mr. Pollack to uncover the causes of the most avoidable mass murders in history.
They Knew He Was Obsessed With Guns And Murder But Let Him Practice Shooting
The Post adapted excerpts from the book based on never-before-released educational records of the shooter, Nikolas Cruz. They show the Broward County school district knew full well about the killer’s obsession with guns and murder — and then let him practice shooting at school.
Cruz began his reign of terror in the Westglades Middle School in 7th grade in 2013. He asked to hug one girl and she did, but she was later warned not to touch him since he would follow up by jerking off.
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He was a student unlike any the teachers had seen before. Cruz would throw desks, curse and threaten anyone nearby. He would hide behind corners and doors, jump out and scream at people, and then cackle at their fear. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, he would burst into maniacal laughter.
Cruz took pride in torturing and killing animals and tried to get other students to watch videos of him skinning animals.
From 7th grade on, he was suspended every other day. He remained in school according to the school policy.
The Post writes that students with disabilities are supposed to be educated in the “least restrictive environment” possible, regardless of whether their disability is that they’re dyslexic or a psychopath and the paperwork requirements to send them to a specialized school can take many months.
[As an educator, I can tell you that’s an extreme reading of the mandate. It’s also clear the mainstream school wasn’t the “least restrictive” for a psychopathic-type student.]
“I’m a bad kid! I want to kill!” Cruz Shouted
On one visit to his teacher’s class, the Assistant Principal Antonio Lindsay tried to convince Cruz he was a “good kid” and said he knows he “can behave.” Cruz shouted, “I’m a bad kid! I want to kill!”
Cruz’s eighth-grade language-arts teacher, Carrie Yon, kept diligent notes on his behavior for Cruz’s “Functional Behavior Analysis.” Unsurprisingly, Nick was only interested in lessons if gore, guns, and mayhem were involved in some way ans asked very inappropriate questions. Cruz asked one student all the time, “How am I still at this school?”
His mother appeared to need a lot of guidance. When the teacher spoke with his mother, she said: We discussed that he should not be playing violent video games and that he should be put in a different school that can help with his behavior and emotional issues. We also discussed his obsession with guns/violence. She stated that he is interested in buying a BB gun from Walmart and was asking his mom, repeatedly, if he could get the gun, promising that he would “just shoot at trees.”
Ms. Yon provided her opinion for the “Functional Behavioral Analysis”:
“I feel strongly that Nikolas is a danger to the students and faculty at this school. I do not feel that he understands the difference between his violent video games and reality. He is constantly showing aggressive behavior and poor judgment. His drawing in class shows violent acts (people shooting at each other) or creepy sexual pictures (dogs with large penises) . . . I would like to see him sent to a facility that is more prepared and has the proper setting to deal with this type of child.”
THE STEPS THEY HAD TO TAKE WERE ABSURD
On Sept. 13, 2013, Principal Lindsay e-mailed teachers to inform them that if Cruz “needs to leave the class to use the restroom, go to the clinic, or any other reason please notify the front office and wait for a security escort. Under no circumstances should Nickolas [sic] be allowed to leave a supervised setting without an escort.”
In October, Lindsay sent a follow-up e-mail informing teachers that moving forward, “Cruz will be ‘shadowed’ by his mother when he chooses to run/walk out of class in ‘his attempts’ of avoiding getting into trouble.” Teachers were advised to call security in secret by sending a student to the office on another pretext.
TIPS FOR HANDLING A PSYCHOPATH
On Nov. 4, after two months of gathering “data” for Cruz’s “Functional Behavior Assessment,” teachers were sent his “Positive Behavior Intervention Plan.” The plan included ‘helpful’ tips, such as, if he causes a major disruption or destroys property, let Nikolas know, “you’re getting too loud. I need for you to get back into control by using a cool down pass or calming down at your desk. If you get back into control, you can stay in class. If you continue, I’ll need for you leave [sic].”
No matter what he did, the advice was to walk away to “diffuse the situation” or “do not pay attention to his behaviors.” The plan was also big on rewards when he simply did what he was supposed to do normally.
[These educators and mental health professionals appeared to let an extreme ideology or political correctness get in the way of their common sense.]
HE TRIED TO KILL HIMSELF AND IT WAS CALLED A MINOR INCIDENT
Teachers were required to implement this [absurd] plan for at least six weeks until Cruz could become eligible for further evaluation. In late November, Cruz attempted to commit suicide at school by running into oncoming traffic. But that did not accelerate the process.
School administrators classified the incident as “minor disruption,” and Cruz remained enrolled at Westglades for another three months. As Ms. Yon’s records show, even Cruz couldn’t understand why they kept him there for so long.
THE SHORT-TERM SPECIAL SCHOOL
He was sent to a special school and exhibited the same behaviors and staff wrote to his private psychiatrist warning of extreme behaviors, such as violence and paranoia. The staff recommended hospitalization. They also warned his mother against getting him a pellet gun and shooting classes, and they told her to keep him away from violent video games. [They had to tell her that!]
He behaved for a few months and that earned him a place in the mainstream high school.
When Cruz’s teachers were asked what he was interested in or enjoyed, almost every single one mentioned guns, the military, or war.
He behaved from October on and by April, he told Dr. Ortiz he wanted to join the school’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Core program. Ortiz strongly recommended against it for safety reasons.
But the [bleeding heart] Child Study Team recommended mainstreaming him for two class periods a day anyway. Cruz was then allowed to enroll in Marjory Stoneman Douglas. They even gave him an air gun, shaped like an AR-15, and they let him practice shooting.
This was in accordance with school policy. No one objected.
Could Cruz have been any clearer? This lenient school policy, originating in D.C. under the Obama reign, and practiced in schools all over the country, is insane.
wpDiscuz
