PARKLAND, FLA. (WSVN) - Dozens of teachers and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas protested outside of the school Tuesday morning, following the removal and reassignment of three administrators and a security specialist.
7News spoke with some of the staff who said they do not feel the reassignments were valid.
Signs being held up by teachers featured phrases like, “Stop Revictimizing Us!” or “We are strong together. Keep us together.”
The school district has yet to give a reason for the reassignments. However, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Safety Commission has been tasked with studying the February 14 tragedy. Members of the commission recently concluded that some staff members may have missed warning signs regarding the massacre.
Meanwhile, many school staff, including MSD Teacher Greg Pittman are angry. “They’re looking for sacrificial lambs. They’re looking for somebody to take fault,” he said.
Pittman lived through the Valentine’s Day shooting and said three administrators, Assistant Principals Winfred Porter Junior, Jeff Morford and Denise Reed as well as security specialist Kelvin Greenleaf, are being singled out and blamed for the failures that allowed confessed shooter Nickolas Cruz to enter the school and wreak havoc.
“Teachers and administrators gave their lives for these kids,” said Pittman. “They were there that day with not much to defend themselves. They ran into harm’s way. I want to know what schools in Broward County had been trained for this situation prior to us having [it happen].”
However, not every one is against the reassignments. Andrew Pollack, who’s daughter Meadow, was killed in the shooting, supported the removal of the administrators.
“I don’t really get it why the teachers are out here. To me, they’re a terrible excuse of role models for the children,” Pollack said. “It’s about accountability in life and if there’s failures, which there are multiple failures, people need to be held accountable.”
Earlier this month, Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie told the safety commission that staff members would be disciplined after having learned that restrooms were locked and that the shooter was spotted on campus yet a code red was not issued.
“We feel like the district reacts a lot of times, like with these knee-jerk reactions,” said MSD teacher Melissa Falkowski. “You know, parents are demanding that this happen and people are demanding that this happen, and instead of thinking through what the impact is going to be on the student body, what it’s going to be on the faculty, they just react, and then we’re left to pick up the pieces … which is all we’ve done for the last nine months.”
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