Tempers flare over delay in metal detector program
A last-minute decision to delay metal detectors at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High caused a heated rift between two School Board members Tuesday.
Chaos ensued with board members shouting over each other, leading Chairwoman Nora Rupert to cut their microphones off and abruptly recess meeting. The school district had announced for months the school, the site of the Feb. 14 massacre, would be the site of a pilot program for metal detectors.
But in a letter sent to parents Friday afternoon, Runcie said many logistical issues had arisen and plans are on hold.
“I am incredibly disappointed the way metal detectors was handled,” bboard member Robin Bartleman said. “For se- information, there shouldn’t have been new information two weeks before school starts.”
She said it was embarrassing that the sixth largest school district in the country appeared to not know what it was doing.
“We have no credibility as a board because you keep reversing decisions,” Bartleman said.
Board member Rosalind Osgood, a strong Runcie supportthe er, interrupted her.
“It’s good leadership to take a pause and do more evaluation to make sure you’re doing what’s best for kids,” she said. “It’s unfair for you to sit there and take that position when we’re trying to do the best we can.”
The exchange reflected a growing tension on the School Board as Parkland parents becurity
come increasingly irate with the School Board.
Heated School Board elections are leading to calls to fire Runcie. While neither Bartleman nor Osgood are up for re-election this year, Osgood is part of a sixmember majority that regularly supports Runcie, while Bartleman is among his three most vocal critics, the others being Rupert and Heather Brinkworth.
None of the incumbents have called for him to be fired.
On the metal detectors, Runcie told board member the district had learned of some obstacles while working with a safety consultant.
These include how to get 3,300 students through the school at the same time, how to staff them, what kind of equipment is needed, how to protect student privacy and what limitations the devices may have, the letter states.
Runcie compared the decision to the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, where he said NASA yielded to public pressure and launched despite known problems.
“The rush to meet the media and political considerations resulted in tragedy,” he said.
Bartleman said she had received a copy of an invoice from months ago for $49,000 for 10 metal detectors. Chief of Staff Jeff Moquin said that the invoice was sent but the metal detectors were never paid for.
The reversal on metal detectors was the second time last week the district had backtracked on a major issue involving Stoneman Douglas.
Runcie also canceled a contract with a retired Secret Service agent to investigate the school staff’s role related to the tragedy a week after hiring him. Runcie said it would duplicate the work of a state commission.
A School Board workshop on metal detectors is scheduled for Aug. 14. The district also plans to provide an update about Stoneman Douglas’ new portables and security measures during a news conference Wednesday. The first day of school is Aug. 15.