Florida Governor Calls for Grand Jury Investigation of School Safety

DeSantis announced the request Wednesday, surrounded by relatives of those killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. A grand jury could issue subpoenas, look for potential failures and determine how the Broward district allocated resources for campus safety. It could also explore whether school officials diverted bond funds that were “solicited for school safety initiatives.”

“Although protecting our students is a perpetual process, there are steps we can take immediately to improve safety in our schools,” DeSantis said in a statement. “While we cannot bring back the innocents we lost, we can honor their memory by learning from the mistakes that were made and resolving to swiftly correct all those within our control.”

Nikolas Cruz, a former MSD student, confessed to killing 13 students and four faculty members in the Feb. 14, 2018, Parkland attack. He could face the death penalty.

Many problems the grand jury could investigate were brought to light by local news reports, including the discovery of $55 million in school safety funds that were rejected in 2013. School safety initiatives were promised but never took place and Florida districts often hid crimes that occurred on campuses, the reports said.