Petty up for approval on Fla. Board of Education

Parkland parent faces criticism over past social media posts

TALLAHASSEE – A Parkland parent and school safety advocate appointed to serve on the Florida Board of Education faced scrutiny Monday from Democrats over his political stances and past social media posts disparaging public schools.

Ryan Petty, a Broward County resident, became a prominent school safety advocate after he lost his 14-year-old daughter Alaina in the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Petty in January to serve on the State Board of Education, which sets policies and regulations for the state’s school systems.

A Senate panel recommended his appointment be confirmed, despite concerns from South Florida Democratic Sens. Bobby Powell and Oscar Braynon.

Powell asked whether Petty had changed since he made several controversial tweets mostly between 2008 and 2013. The tweets became an issue during Petty’s unsuccessful bid for the Broward County School Board in 2018.

In April 2011, he tweeted to a user: “You’re a little slow on the comebacks. Public school educated, I’d imagine?”

Petty said he is confident in his ability to serve on the board.

“I look forward to an opportunity to serve all children, all students, all teachers in the state of Florida,” Petty said. “Certainly as we go through life, we learn things. We learn, and we grow. Challenges are put in front of us, and we have an opportunity to respond.”

Broward voters didn’t want Petty to serve on their county’s school board, Braynon said. He also expressed concerns about

Petty’s views on controversial issues, which included supporting the removal of Scott Israel as Broward County’s sheriff and a bill that allowed school districts to arm teachers.

“Here we are in Tallahassee putting him on the board that is in charge of all of our educational policy,” Braynon said. “So I feel like this is again along the lines of us saying, ‘Well, because of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, we take the opportunity to override what the people of Broward wanted.’”

Both Republicans and Democrats praised Petty’s activism on school-safety issues after the Parkland school shooting. Petty is a member of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission, which was formed to analyze what went wrong leading up to and during the massacre. Professionally, Petty is senior vice president of business-tobusiness products for Cable & Wireless Communications and previously worked as vice president of product development and innovation at ADT Inc.

Sen. Manny Diaz, RHialeah Gardens, said Petty’s life experience and business background make him a valuable addition to the board.

“I know you care about our education system as a whole and not just school safety,” Diaz said. “I think you bring a valuable perspective.”

The full Senate will vote on Petty’s appointment next.