Some shooting victims call Florida district unsupportive

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — After the most horrible day of their lives, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School teachers and families expected thoughtful and compassionate outreach from Broward school district staff and board members.

But some say their phones stayed quiet. Several said their contacts with the school district have been clumsy or nonexistent.

These parents, students and staff are adding their voices to the anguish expressed at a school board meeting last week by April and Phil Schentrup, whose daughter, Carmen, was killed during the massacre Feb. 14.

April Schentrup, principal at Pembroke Pines Elementary School, said none of the nine board members offered their condolences. She said the district tried to dock her pay when she took time off to grieve. When she transitioned back to work, she said Broward schools chief Robert Runcie told her that “this is not a part-time job.”

Debra Hixon, wife of slain athletic director Chris Hixon, said she shares the pain of being forgotten. Hixon, a 29-year district employee, is the magnet school coordinator at another district high school.

“I am on the company email,” she said. “They know I am broken. It would have been nice to get a message like, ‘Is there something we can do to make this easier for you?’ ”

Runcie said he and his staff began reaching out to Stoneman Douglas staff and families the day after the shooting.

“Many of the families have asked for privacy, and we seek to honor that request while still being available to them,” he said. “Contact has ranged from personal visits and conversations to phone calls, and these continue to this day.”

District staff said that as soon as the victims were identified, a social worker, family therapist or psychologist contacted the family. Stoneman Douglas teachers also were offered this help.

Some board members concede that they could have done more. After the Schentrups spoke out, Nora Rupert, board chairwoman, said she was distressed and saddened.

Not everyone directly affected by the shooting is critical of the school district’s response. Linda Beigel Schulman, whose son, teacher Scott Beigel, was killed, said she received a supportive text from Runcie and always finds someone to answer her questions when she calls.

Jennifer Lett / Sun Sentinel Phil and Carmen Schentrup, parents of Carmen Schentrup, one of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting victims, comment on the Santa Fe shooting on May 18.