FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Protesters gathered outside of the Broward School Board building during a meeting to call for the resignation of Superintendent Dr. Robert Runcie.
At around 10 a.m. on Tuesday, several protesters met outside of the KC Wright Administration building with a large sign that read, “Runcie let our kids die.”
“I think the biggest issue that I have struggled with as a parent of an MSD child is that everything is taking so long to fix,” said protester Heather Chapman. “It seems to be that everyone is waiting around for the commission report, which finally came out, and now I want to see a sense of urgency. But a lot of the things that came out in the report should have been done a long time ago. It’s common sense things that nobody needs to be told what to do.”
Inside of the building, Broward School Board members voted to move forward with an agreement that would allow the Broward Sheriff’s Office to respond faster in situations in which law enforcement or fire rescue is needed be letting law enforcement to monitor the schools in real time.
This comes as a response to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland that took 17 lives last February.
Some Parkland parents who lost children in the shooting also want Runcie to resign.
“There’s one more leader that needs to be held accountable in order for our kids to be safe at the schools, and that’s Broward School Board Superintendent Runcie,” said Andrew Pollack, the father of victim Meadow Pollack, during a press meeting where Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Broward Sheriff Scott Israel.
One Holocaust teacher from Parkland addressed the board.
“It was then that we heard the deafening sound of a semi-automatic weapon unloading outside of our classroom door,” she said. “Within seconds, the shooter was blasting into our classroom injuring four students, including two who are here today, and fatally wounding Nicholas Dworet and Helena Ramsay. The hatred of the Holocaust came into room 1214 that day, and now it’s our responsibility to share what we know and what we have learned.”
After she spoke, there was a moment of silence that included the lighting of candles and a reading of the names of the victims in the shooting.
One mother who lost a child during the shooting back in February is now a Broward County School Board member.
The protesters expect to be addressed this afternoon as well as the agreement of BSO monitoring the schools in real time.
Meanwhile, Runcie told 7News he would not speak in front of cameras.
He instead released a statement in response to the demand for his resignation that read, “The pain and loss are still fresh for the parents and families whose loved ones were lost or injured. I think about them and the rest of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School community every day, and every day I renew my resolve and take steps to make every school in our district safer and more secure than it was the day before. At this moment, the community needs stability in school district leadership, increased resources and support.”
More protesters are expected to gather in front of the building later in the day.
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