Broward school district officials said on Sunday that the former student accused of carrying out a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February, Nikolas Cruz, was assigned to a controversial disciplinary program designed to limit on-campus arrests, according to reporting by WJCT News.
The revelation contradicts repeated claims by the school district’s superintendent, Robert Runcie, that the shooter had “no connection” to the so-called PROMISE Program.
Cruz was assigned to three days in the program after vandalizing a middle school bathroom in 2013, two sources familiar with Cruz’s record told WJCT.
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It is unclear if Cruz actually attended the program, which is meant to keep students who commit certain misdemeanors from getting involved in the criminal justice system.
A spokesperson for the superintendent said that it “does not appear that Cruz completed the recommended three-day assignment/placement,” according to WJCT.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office also said Cruz didn’t attend the program, WJCT reported.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) tweeted the WJCT story on Monday and said that he was repeatedly told Cruz wasn’t in the program, which he had asked questions about.
Ryan Petty, whose daughter was one of the 17 people killed in the February shooting, criticized the school district for failing to use best practices for threat assessments in its schools and said “children and teachers are still at risk.”
Runcie touted the program’s ability to keep students from committing more offenses at school and said it was “reprehensible” that people have tried to use the shooting to go after the program.
A full report on Cruz’s academic record and experience within Broward County will be made public in June, according to Runcie.