COACH AT DOUGLAS HIGH, SHE IS LIVE WITH US AFTER THE BREAK. >> THE UP WITH LANDED LIKE A
BOMBSHELL, BROWARD SCHOOL
SUPERINTENDENT ROBERT RUNCIE
ARRESTED.
ONE PERJURY CHARGE ALLEGES HE
LIED TO A FLORIDA GRAND JURY IN
SYSTEM A FEW WEEKS AGO.
SCHOOL DISTRICT ATTORNEY BARBARA
MYERICK ALSO ARRESTED ON A
CHARGE SHE DIVULGED SECRET GRAND
JURY PROCEEDINGS TO PEOPLE IN
BROW AND AND MIAMI DADE, THAT
WAS A PANEL BY GOVERNOR DESANTIS
TO INVESTIGATE SCHOOL SAFETY
STANDARDS A YEAR AFTER THE
MURDERS AT STONEMAN DOUGLAS HIGH
SCHOOL.
NOW TWO OF THE NINE SCHOOL BOARD
MEMBERS ARE FAMILY MEMBERS OF
THOSE VICTIMS AND DEBORAH
HICKSON IS ONE.
HER HUSBAND COACH CHRIS DIED A
HERO SAVING STUDENTS THAT DAY.
DEBBIE HICKSTON, GREAT TO YOU
HAVE, WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR
TIME.
>> THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME.
>> YOU KNOW, WHEN WE SPOKE ON
WEDNESDAY YOU WERE SURPRISED AS
ANYONE HEARING THE NEWS OF THE
AEST ARES.
NOW THAT YOU HAVE HAD A COUPLE
OF DAYS TO DIVEST IT AND MAYBE
LEARN MORE, WHAT IS YOUR
UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHARGES?
>> STO BE HONEST, I HONESTLY
DON’T KNOW MORE THAN WHAT WE
KNEW ON WEDNESDAY.
WE REALLY HAVEN’T RECEIVED
INFORMATION AS TO WHAT EXACTLY
THE CHARGE OF PERJURY IS BASED
ON.
SO I WOULD LOVE TO TELL YOU I
HAVE MORE INFORMATION BUT I
I’M WAITING JUST ALONG WITH
EVERYONE ELSE TO FIND OUT WHAT
THE EXACT DETAILS AROUND THIS
ARE.
>> YOU KNOW, I WILL SAY THAT
ROBERT’S ATTORNEYS ARE SAYING
THE SAME THING, THEY, THE
PUBLIC, WE HAVE NOT GOTTEN ANY
MORE THAN I SUPPOSE YOU OR THEY
HAVE AND THAT IS PROBLEMATIC FOR
REPORTING ON THIS, AT THE
MOMENT.
BUT YOU KNOW, AS A FAMILY MEMBER
YOU HAVE BEEN LIKE MOST OF THE
OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS FROM
PARKLAND VERY CRITICAL OF THE
SUPERINTENDENT OVER THE PAST
COUPLE OF YEARS, ESPECIALLY
WHERE IT COMES TO SECURITY,
POLICY AND ACTION AND INACTION.
AND AS A BOARD MEMBER, YOU ARE
TAKING A MUCH MORE BALANCED
APPROACH TO THIS.
TAKE US THROUGH THAT SORT OF
BALANCE THAT YOU ARE GOING
THROUGH AS YOU PREPARE TO MAKE
DECISIONS ABOUT THIS WEEK.
>> YOU KNOW, I AM NOW AN ELECTED
OFFICIAL.
IT ISN’T ABOUT MY OWN PERSONAL
FEELINGS, IT IS ABOUT WHAT IS
RIGHT.
EVERYONE IS DUE THEIR DUE
PROCESS.
AND UNTIL IT PLAYS OUT T IS
REALLY HARD TO KNOW WHAT THE END
RESULT IS GOING TO BE.
I WOULD SAY THAT YOU KNOW, WE’RE
IN ONE-- STEP ONE OF A LONG
PROCESS HERE.
AND WHEN WE LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENS
TO TEACHERS WHO ARE IN THIS
SITUATION, OUR OTHER OR OTHER
EMPLOYEES, OFTEN WE FIND
ALTERNATE ASSIGNMENTS FOR THEM
UNTIL THE WHOLE SYSTEM PLAYS OUT
AND WE FIND OUT WHETHER THEY ARE
GUILTY OR NOT.
WHETHER THAT IS GOING TO BE WHAT
WE PICK OR NOT, I DON’T KNOW, WE
ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TALK ABOUT IT
UNTIL TUESDAY, BUT I AM WEIGHING
ALL OF THE OPTIONS AND TRYING TO
MAKE SURE THAT WHAT I-- WHAT I
DECIDE TO DO IS WHAT IS RIGHT
FOR OUR DISTRICT.
FOR OUR STUDENTS, FOR OUR STAFF,
AND FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
SO IT ISN’T ABOUT WHAT I
PERSONALLY BELIEVE.
I AM NOT IN THAT POSITION, I’M
IN A DIFFERENT POSITION NOW T
HAS TO BE WHAT THE RIGHT THING
IS TO DO.
SO IT WEIGHS VERY HEAVY ON MY
MIND RIGHTS NOW.
>> OF COURSE.
AND I AND WE APPRECIATE THAT
SORT OF RAW HONESTY OF WHAT YOU
ARE GOING THROUGH T SAY REALLY
DIFFICULT POSITION.
YOU KNOW, GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS
HAD PROMISED FROM DAY ONE AND
EVEN BEFORE HE WAS INAUGURATED,
HE WAS PROMISING ACCOUNTABILITY
TO THE COMMUNITY, TO THE
FAMILIES AND YOU KNOW, RIGHT OFF
THE BAT IN HIS TENURE HE
SUSPENDED THEN BROWARD SHERIFF
SCOTT ISRAEL TO THIS DAY SCOTT
ISRAEL IS ADAMANTLY DENYING HE
IS RESPONSIBLE.
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF
SUPERINTENDENT ROBERT RUNCIE, HE
HANDED TO A GRAND JURY.
AND SO WE HAVE A COMMUNITY NOW
WHO HAVE HAD A RALLY, A LOT OF
COMMUNITY LEADERS HAD A RALLY
FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT.
WE HAVE A COMMUNITY, A PORTION
OF THE COMMUNITY LOOKING LIKE
THIS IS A POLITICALLY MOTIVATED
ARREST. 3
I WONDER IF YOU ARE OPEN TO
LOOKING AT THAT ISSUE.
AND CONSIDERING THAT THAT MAY
HAVE SOMETHINGS TO DO WITH THIS
CASE.
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU
THINK ABOUT WHAT THE GRAND JURY
S THE GRAND JURY WAS SELECTED
FROM THREE DIFFERENT COUNTIES,
BROWARD, PALM BEACH AND DADE
COUNTY, ALL DIFFERENT RACE,
BACKGROUNDS, THEY WERE
ARBITRARILY SELECTED JUST LIKE
ANY OTHER JURY IS SELECTED SO I
KNOW THAT THERE IS ALOT OF TALK
TALK AROUND THE POLITICAL PART
OF IT.
BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHO MADE UP
THIS GRAND JURY AND HOW THEY ARE
SELECTED, I WOULD LIKE TO
BELIEVE THAT THE PROCESS IS
GOING THROUGH THE PROPER STEPS.
AND SO YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, HE
WAS INDICTED OR CHARGED BUT NOW
HE WILL HAVE HIS DAY IN COURT TO
FIND OUT WHETHER HE IS TRULY
GUILTY OF THE CHARGES THAT THEY
HAVE BROUGHT AROUND HIM.
BUT YOU KNOW, THAT, I WANT TO BE
VERY CLEAR, WHEN PEOPLE ARE
TALKING ABOUT ACCOUNT ABILITY,
THE GRAND JURY WASN’T ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED ON FEBRUARY 14th,
IT MAY BE ABOUT SECURITY THAT
HAS HAPPENED AFTERWORDS, BUT I
WANT PEOPLE TO-- I DON’T WANT
PEOPLE TO GET CONFUSED ABOUT
WE’RE SEEKING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR
SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED ON
FEBRUARY 14th.
AND WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THIS
GRAND JURY.
SO THAT IS HOW I LOOK AT IT.
YOU CAN’T MIX THE TWO.
ONE MAY HAVE COME BAWFS THE
OTHER ONE BUT THE ISSUES WE’RE
LOOKING AT, WHAT HAPPENED ON
FEBRUARY 14th THERE.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED AFTERWARDS AND
THEN THINGS WITH-- SO WE HAVE TO
STICK WITH FACTS AND SOMETIMES
THAT’S REALLY HARD WHEN IT ST
EMOTIONAL.
THAT’S REALLY WHERE I FIND
MYSELF AT THIS POINT.
THE FACTS ARE YOU KNOW, CENTERED
IN WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW, NOT
WHAT HAPPENED ON THE 14th OF
FEBRUARY IN 2018.
>> THAT IS WHAT OUR ENTIRE
JUSTICE SYSTEM IS BASED UPON,
MOVING AWAY THE EMOTION AND
LOOKING AT THE FACT.
S THE GRAND JURY INITIALLY WAS
SEATED TO DETERMINE SCHOOL
SECURITY AND THE MONEY, SOME OF
THE BOND MONEY IS EAR-MARKED FOR
UPGRADES AND SECURITY AND
SAFETY.
IT WAS BROADENED OUT A BIT TO
LOOK AT OTHER THINGSES.
MARJORIE STONEMAN DOUGLAS--
SCHOOL SECURITY, TAKES
US THROUGH AS A BOARD MEMBER,
DISTRICT WIDE, ARE THOSE
UPGRADES BEING MADE TO YOUR
SATISFACTION?
IS THERE AN ISSUE DISTRICT WIDE?
SO THEY’RE BEING MADE, MOST
SCHOOLS NOW HAVE THE SINGLE
POINT OF ENTRY.
THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT I
FEEL ARE DRAGGING.
WE DO HAVE A SAFETY OR SECURITY
OFFICER WHETHER IT IS AN SRO OR
A GUARDIAN IN EACH OF THE
SCHOOLS.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE BUZZERS
I BELIEVE THEY’RE MOVING FORWARD, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT DONE WITH A GREATER SENSE OF
URGENCY.
>> DEBORAH HICKSON, I AM
GRATEFUL FOR YOUR TIME, WE WILL
BE WATCHING WHAT YOU AND YOUR
COLLEAGUES DO ON TUESDAY.