Cruz was referred to discipline program
FORT LAUDERDALE — Florida school officials now say school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz was referred during middle school to a mentoring program aimed at steering children away from the criminal justice system, a shifting explanation that critics are calling a reversal of earlier statements.
Following the Feb. 14 shooting that killed 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Broward County School Superintendent Robert Runcie had said Cruz hadn’t been in the program. On Monday, the school district clarified Cruz was referred to the program while at middle school in 2013, but he didn’t fully participate and did not participate in the program while at Stoneman Douglas.
The referral came after the school said Cruz got in trouble for vandalizing a bathroom and incurred a disciplinary infraction for vandalism and destruction of school property for less than $1,000.
School officials said in a statement that the middle schooler underwent an intake interview in November 2013, but “it does not appear that Cruz completed the recommended three-day assignment/placement.” It’s unclear why there was no follow-through.
The clarification comes as school officials say they’ve been analyzing data from multiple sources on Cruz’s history. “We continue to review records and systems to determine if the disciplinary placement was modified by school administration or the individualized education plan committee. Rather than speculate about the possible reasons for his not returning, we feel it’s important to wait until we have the facts associated with his specific circumstances,” the school district said in a statement.
The PROMISE program was aimed at reducing recidivism rates for students who commit non-violent misdemeanors and keeping them out of the juvenile justice system. The program helps students develop pro-social and resiliency skills, improve academics and may address family and community struggles that may be contributing to behavior issues, according to the school district’s website.
Critics have suggested the program led to leniency for the alleged shooter. Ryan Petty, whose daughter Alaina was killed, was quick to jump on the reversal, tweeting, “Conflicting discipline programs within the district have created deadly chaos for our children, teachers & staff,” adding that success in the programs created “perverse incentives for school staff, administrators & law enforcement.”
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, an outspoken critic of the program, tweeted, “I was repeatedly told that the Parkland shooter was never in the Promise Program I was asking questions about. Now it turns out that in fact he was.”