FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The superintendent of the Florida school district where 17 students and staff died in a 2018 high school massacre was arrested Wednesday after investigators said he lied to a grand jury investigating events surrounding the shooting.
According to an indictment issued by the grand jury last week and released after Runcie’s arrest, the superintendent lied when he testified before the panel three weeks ago. It is investigating whether districts are following school safety laws, including those implemented after the Feb. 14, 2018, slayings.
The grand jury is also investigating whether:
— Public agencies are using state safety grants for other purposes.
— Broward school officials misappropriated millions of dollars from a bond measure aimed at improving campus safety that was approved by county voters before the shooting.
— Officials intentionally underreported on-campus crimes committed by students.
Also arrested Wednesday was Barbara Myrick, the school district’s attorney. Myrick, 72, is accused of unlawfully disclosing grand jury proceedings. Her indictment also did not disclose details. It could not be immediately determined if she has an attorney. One Broward administrator was previously arrested for allegedly rigging contracts with vendors and accepting bribes. He has plead not guilty.
The superintendent’s critics said crimes, bullying and other school problems were routinely underreported by Stoneman Douglas and other district schools and few did voluntary security assessments. Stoneman Douglas reported zero incidents of bullying among its 3,200 students between 2014 and 2017 and three incidents of vandalism, for example.
Navy Vet