FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Addressing the new school board for the first time Tuesday, Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Vickie Cartwright addressed a number of issues raised in a scathing grand jury report released last month and said three employees named in the report have resigned.
State officials had urged Cartwright to “take real and decisive action” with the “key members” of former Superintendent Robert Runcie’s leadership team; staff “directly named” in the state grand jury report and procurement staff associated with the district’s SMART program.
Gov. Ron DeSantis removed four elected school board members, replacing them with his own appointees, following the grand jury report.
Cartwright requested Jeff Moquin, the chief of staff; David Watkins, the director of diversity and school climate; and Ron Morgan, the assistant chief building official, resign last week.
Moquin is resigning effective Dec. 2, taking leave until then, Morgan resigned effective Tuesday, and Watkins resigned on Friday.
“I knew that we needed to take a look closer and to what had occurred and then we met with the individuals and gave them choices,” Cartwright said.
Cartwright also provided an update to the board on safety and security, talking about new ways the district is reporting crime in schools.
She said the single point of entry intercom project is 99% complete and says the Broward Sheriff’s Office has access to 16,000 cameras in schools.
Cartwright said the random use of handheld metal detectors is working and the district continues to transition into a plain language emergency response protocol.
The new school board chair described the moves as “initial action” but said a lot more has to be done.
Superintendent’s presentation: