Tag Archive for: Parkland

Florida’s Flawed Baker Act Rips Thousands of Kids from School
Over the past seven years, children have been taken from public schools in Tampa Bay more than 7,500 times and temporarily placed in mental health facilities.
They often leave campus handcuffed in the back of police cruisers. Some are as…

This Teen Planned a School Shooting. But Did He Break the Law?
It was sunny and cold on Feb. 13, 2018, when 18-year-old Jack Sawyer walked out of Dick's Sporting Goods in Rutland, Vt., with a brand-new pump-action shotgun and four boxes of ammunition.
The next day, Valentine's Day, Sawyer took his…

Nikolas Cruz’s Birth Mom Had a Violent, Criminal Past. Could It Help Keep Him Off Death Row? – The Miami Herald
Nikolas Cruz had two mothers: his birth mom, who gave him life, an almond-shaped head and auburn hair — and his adoptive mom, who gave him all the advantages of an upscale, suburban upbringing.
His birth mother, Brenda Woodard, was sometimes…

School District Bungled Parkland Suspect’s Request for Therapeutic Services: Report – FOX News
The suspect linked to a mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., was denied the therapeutic services needed for disabled students, according to a report released Friday.
In the year leading up to the Feb. 14 rampage that left 17 people dead at Marjory…

‘Burn. Kill. Destroy.’ Parkland Mass Shooter Claimed ‘Demons’ Drove Him to Violence – The Miami Herald
Hours after he shot and killed 17 people at a Parkland high school, Nikolas Cruz sat in a Broward Sheriff’s police interrogation room. He was not defiant. Instead, he cast himself as a pathetic failure beset by a “demon” in his head.
Cruz…

Stigmatizing Kids? New Law Forces Families to Disclose Student’s Mental Health Treatment – Florida Phoenix
Registering a student for public school involves submitting everything from proof of immunizations, health exams and birth certificates to details about gender, race, emergency contacts and more.
But the newest registration requirement this…

Some Wanted Florida Suspect Committed in 2016 – The Palm Beach Post
Newly released documents show that some wanted Nikolas Cruz involuntarily committed under the Baker Act as early as 2016. Experts say that involuntary commitment would have made in nearly impossible for Cruz to purchase firearms. Read more…

Shooter Revealed Gory Fantasies to his Therapists Years Before the Parkland Massacre – The Miami Herald
A new report reveals that school shooter Nikolas Cruz told his therapist about his "gory fantasies" years before the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Read more.

Schools Could Have Done More for Shooter Nikolas Cruz, Experts Say – The Orlando Sentinel
Some special education experts have criticized Broward County Public Schools' failure to adequately treat Nikolas Cruz, who killed 17 people during a school shooting in Parkland. Read more.

School Shooter Nikolas Cruz: An Unending Saga of Disturbed Behavior and Red Flags – The Orlando Sentinel
This article details the "red flags" of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz. Read more.