FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Broward County school board will vote next week on whether to fire Superintendent Robert Runcie amid growing criticism over his handling of the Parkland school shooting.
The move to fire Runcie appears on the school board’s agenda for March 5. The request was made by school board member Lori Alhadeff, whose 14-year-old daughter, Alyssa, was killed in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last year.
"The urgency to do this now is because the district is spiraling out of control. Mr. Runcie has demonstrated a history of poor leadership," Alhadeff said in a statement. "As board members we need to be accountable to the public. I am bringing it forward regardless if I have five votes or not. We are not under a grand jury investigation because the district is running so smoothly."
Earlier this month, Gov. Ron DeSantis asked the Florida Supreme Court to impanel a grand jury to review school safety measures in Broward County.
Parents of several victims of the shooting and others in Parkland have been vocal in calling for Runcie’s resignation. Critics say Runcie and other school officials ignored warning signs about the gunman Nikolas Cruz, who was a former student, and didn’t institute safety polices that could have saved lives.
However, Runcie still maintains strong support among other members of the board and among local officials.
On Tuesday, more than 500 people attended a district forum on school safety in Coral Springs, where Runcie addressed calls for his resignation.
"Leadership is not about, in my view, about cutting and run when it gets really tough. Given the fact that this occurred under my watch as superintendent, I need to fix it," Runcie said.