Broward HR chief resigns amid criticism

Nichols is latest administrator to leave district

The head of human resources for Broward County schools, who failed to fire a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High coach and security guard accused of sexually harassing students, has stepped down.

Chief Human Resources Officer Craig Nichols had drawn harsh criticism for the Stoneman Douglas decision after the South Florida Sun Sentinel revealed in June that the security guard, Andrew Medina, was the first to spot a former student with a rifle bag walk on campus on Feb. 14, but he did nothing to stop him. Seventeen people were murdered, and 17 others were injured.

The Sun Sentinel also revealed in June that Nichols overturned a unanimous decision by a discipline committee to fire Medina four months before the shooting.

Nichols, 60, becomes the latest in a string of top administrators to leave the district. Robert Hutchinson, the district’s police chief, announced in September he would be stepping down in January. Chief Facilities Officer Leo Bobadilla, who oversaw the

district’s troubled bond program, and Chief Information Officer Tony Hunter, who oversaw technology, resigned three weeks ago.

Superintendent Robert Runcie alerted School Board members Tuesday of the departure of Nichols, who has headed the human resources department since 2015.

“I did hear from Mr. Runcie about Mr. Nichols’ resignation,” said School Board member Lori Alhadeff, who represents the Parkland and Coral Springs area. “This is a key leadership position and I am concerned of why he is choosing to not work for the district anymore.”

Nichols submitted a two-sentence letter of resignation to Runcie on Monday, saying he would stay until Feb. 4.

Nichols’ frustration with the job became apparent in recent months, especially after being criticized for his actions involving Medina.

Medina, who was an assistant baseball coach and a security monitor, was accused in February 2017 of making repeated inappropriate comments to two 17-year-old students at Stoneman Douglas. One was Meadow Pollack, who died during the massacre.

A committee of seven district employees unanimously recommended in October 2017 that Medina be fired. But Nichols, acting as Runcie’s designee, overruled the decision and instead suspended him for three days. The district said this was because there was no “direct evidence” of the harassment, “no inappropriate physical contact” and no history of discipline for Medina.

The district statement in June said the reduced discipline was made after consulting the legal department and school police department. However, General Counsel Barbara Myrick told the Sun Sentinel her office recommended Medina be fired.

In an interview June 19, Runcie placed the blame solely on Nichols.

“Mr. Nichols signed off on it,” Runcie said at the time. “I was not aware of it until recently after it was brought up. That’s all I have to say.”

Runcie decided later that month not to renew Medina or David Taylor, another security monitor whose performance on Feb. 14 was criticized as being ineffective.

Families of victims were outraged that Medina was even at the school on Feb. 14, given his history. April Schentrup, a former principal whose daughter Carmen was killed at Stoneman Douglas, criticized Nichols on a timeline of events she posted online.

Nichols fumed in an email sent Sept. 3 to Runcie, saying he shouldn’t be held responsible for a decision made by a “group of individuals.”

Schentrup “inappropriately ties me into the narrative” and “implies I should not have my job,” Nichols wrote. “Publicly posting such misinformation and accusations on social media opens the potential to mislead someone who might want to do physical harm. … I and others don’t deserve this and it can’t be tolerated.”

He demanded a meeting with Runcie and Myrick. It’s unclear what became of that request, which Runcie forwarded to his chief of staff, Jeff Moquin.

“I didn’t put these things on the timeline as a personal attack on Craig,” Schentrup said Tuesday. “This is just one link to the failures in the Broward school system that led not only to Carmen’s death but to what happened to all who were injured or died.”

Nichols was also caught by surprise after the Sun Sentinel discovered that Procurement Director Mary Coker received a $13,000 raise, which brought her salary to $161,358 — $8,000 above the maximum pay allowed for her position. The district had changed Coker’s hours from 37.5 to 40 hours without informing Nichols, officials said at a meeting. The raise was later reversed.

Coker’s second-in-command, Daniela Mamede, received a $3,000 stipend in 2017 that also drew criticism from the School Board.

Tracy Clark, who was then spokeswoman for the district, explained in an email to the Sun Sentinel that bonuses are “governed under the general guidance outlined” in the employee handbook.

But Nichols told the School Board Oct. 16 he was unaware of any stipends given to district administrators.

”You know that means our PR department sent a response to the news media without consulting you,” School Board member Robin Bartleman told him.

Nichols