Giving Compass' Take:

· The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High shooting was a tragedy that reached national news and called for a change in school policy. Two parents of victims of the Parkland shooting are now running for Broward County School Board positions with intentions to change disciplinary policy and provide for a safer school community.

· How can the parents of victims of school shootings change school policies and positively affect school boards?

· Read more on the Parkland shooting and criticisms of the school board.


The normally uneventful election for Broward County School Board has turned into a nationally watched race now that two parents of victims at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High have filed to run.

The campaigns of Lori Alhadeff and Ryan Petty are rooted in grief, anger and a desire to prevent another school shooting. Alhadeff's daughter, Alyssa, and Petty's daughter, Alaina, were among the 17 who died after Nikolas Cruz opened fire on Feb. 14.

Petty and Alhadeff said the school district failed to properly respond to warning signs that Cruz was a troubled student with dangerous tendencies. Petty criticized the district's discipline system that gave Cruz and other students endless second chances when his behavior failed to improve.

They also criticized the district for what they see as a lack of openness, including failing to respond to requests for public information and changing stories about Cruz's involvement in the controversial Promise program, which provides alternatives to arrests for certain misdemeanors.

Campaign officials for Alhadeff and Petty say that while the two are supporting each other's candidacy, they're not involved in other School Board races.

Read the full article about the Broward County School Board elections by Scott Travis at Governing Magazine.