Recent editorials from Florida newspapers:
___
Dec. 10
Tampa Bay Times on a sheriff wanting to allow more school employees to carry guns:
It’s understandable that Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri has changed his mind and now supports arming more school personnel - including some teachers - to try to reduce the deaths in future school shootings. As chairman of the state commission investigating the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Gualtieri has meticulously reviewed how that day unfolded and concluded fewer people may have died if some school staffers had been armed. But there are other ways with broader public support to prevent school shootings or reduce the death tolls.
Gualtieri met with the Times editorial board recently to explain his change in thinking. He refers to the kids who died by their first names and knows precisely where they were. He can trace the actions of the teachers who pulled students to safety or tried to help and were killed. From that seven-month study of the shooting (and the emotional impact of watching it unfold on video), Gualtieri came to his new position. Before, he thought only sworn law enforcement officers should carry weapons on campus. Now, he thinks well-trained, carefully screened, armed school personnel could be in the best position to stop an active shooter. It’s an informed opinion driven not by ideology but by what he has learned about those deadly minutes at Douglas High.
Authorities say former student Nikolas Cruz began shooting on the first floor of a crowded classroom building. One teacher who was shot in the legs dragged himself to a safe corner. As Cruz continued down the hallway spraying bullets, Gualtieri suggests that wounded teacher, had he been armed, could have shot Cruz and stopped the killing. Instead, Cruz reached the wounded man and executed him, then headed for the stairwell in search of more victims. Cruz stopped five times to reload his AR-15 rifle - five opportunities, Gualtieri says, that someone with a gun could have stopped him.
But it wasn’t a shortage of good guys with guns that allowed the Parkland death toll to reach 17. There was a cascade of failures. Cruz’s issues were mishandled by the school district months before the shooting. Campus monitors saw Cruz entering campus carrying a rifle bag and failed to sound the alarm. Even if they had, they didn’t have access to the school’s public address system, and that system didn’t broadcast in common areas or hallways. An armed school resource officer heard the shots but did not enter the building. Police agencies did not effectively communicate with each other.
Outfitting schools with communications systems that alert everyone on campus of danger is one obvious improvement. Even now, the commission has found school districts resistant to change. Some don’t take seriously the need for every school to have a behavioral threat assessment team to identify students showing concerning behavior, as state law now requires. The team at Douglas High had done exactly one assessment, and it was on Cruz, but no one followed up. Even the simple precaution of identifying, marking and keeping clear the safest corner in every classroom wasn’t done, and three students died in Parkland because they couldn’t get to that safe spot. That’s a staggering lapse that should never be repeated at any school, anywhere.
When lawmakers established the school guardian program this spring in response to Parkland, most school districts rejected the idea of arming school employees or used the money to hire armed security guards. While Gualtieri is to be commended for his leadership and dedication to finding solutions, expanding on an unpopular program is not the answer. …
Online: http://www.tampabay.com/
___
Dec. 11
The St. Augustine Record on Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis’ pick for education commissioner:
Let’s not beat around the political bush: Putting former House Speaker Richard Corcoran in charge of Florida education is like hiring Genghis Kahn to head the state Department of Corrections.
The charter school fox is heading for the Department of Education hen house and, for public schooling, that’s finger-lickin’ bad.
Corcoran is a coercer, a brawler and politician who rewards fealty while marking opponents for payback. Those who know him would say he’d be flattered by the description.
He came into politics through the back door. He ran for the House in 1998 in a district outside his own. He was dubbed a “carpetbagger” by the hometown newspaper. He lost.
But he became a rising star in the party machinery, and eventually became what many describe as a political “hitman” for Marco Rubio’s bid to gain House leadership in 2006. …
In 2007, Corcoran again ran for special election, this time in the Senate. He was again portrayed as a carpetbagger - and lost.
The third time was a charm, when Corcoran won a House seat in 2010.
Governor-elect Ron DeSantis has made his pick known. But, on paper, the decision is up to the board of education - all GOP appointees, who probably like their current status.
DeSantis has made no bones about wanting to see public education dismantled, though you heard little of that during the governor campaign.
For his part, Corcoran spearheaded the state’s ongoing effort at funding charter schools with taxpayer money. And, where that was not possible, bankrolling public schools with various funding schemes, including paying for any child who deems himself “bullied” in public school to attend a private school tuition-free - and where, we must assume, bullies do not exist.
Corcoran was also the weight behind efforts this year to dismantle elected school boards and put the oversight of schools under direct legislative control.
In a twist of irony, Corcoran included this line is his speech after being named Speaker: “The enemy is us. … Left to our own devices, all too often, we’ll choose self-interest.”
His wife ran a charter school at the time and has since sought to expand to other areas. But his dark political history aside, might we not expect to have a person with some history in education - whether public or charter school - to lead an agency tasked with educating 3 million kids?
DeSantis has given Education Commissioner Pam Stewart her walking papers, though she has a year left on her contract. She takes with her 40-plus years of experience in education…
Now a hack takes her place. And with one swift move, the Legislature accomplishes Job No. 1. That’s putting Florida’s $20.4 billion education budget out to bid in the private sector. …
Online: https://www.staugustine.com/
___
Dec. 10
Miami Herald on the “Miami Miracle” against the New England Patriots:
First things first: The T-shirts are now available!
Even if you don’t follow sports or the Miami Dolphins, admit it, you still know why. All around you, relatives, friends and co-workers are finding community dissecting the “Miami Miracle” play. And “miracle” is not hyperbole.
The timing of the holiday miracle couldn’t have been better, coming, fittingly, on Hanukkah and just two weeks before Christmas.
The uniting effect of the miracle play has not been lost on respected South Florida Rabbi Solomon Schiff, who sees a larger potential for good in the community. He explains in a letter to the editor…
“For a brief time, we were all praying, cheering and celebrating,” Schiff wrote. “If we could only develop such a warm unity of mind and spirit in our everyday lives, if we could create a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect, we could truly become a championship town.
“This would be the real and lasting Miami Miracle.”
The rabbi is right. The Miami Dolphins’ victory on Sunday brought our community together with “one heart.” It’s not the first time the Dolphins have used the power of sports to bring people together. Back in 1972, during their perfect season run, they did the same.
With their unbelievable win against bitter rivals - Tom Brady, in particular - they have taught us again that believing in the impossible can create magic - even crazy lateral plays that seldom ever work. They certainly seemed never to work for the new-era Dolphins. The last time a similar win happened for the team was back in 1981 - 37 years ago.
The moment is seared in the community’s collective memory: Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill throws the ball to wide receiver Kenny Stills, who runs, then tosses the ball to DeVante Parker, who runs and passes it to Kenyan Drake, who runs all the way for the touchdown that wins the game, leaving the Patriots stumbling, falling at his heels.
Those inside the Hard Rock say the stadium shook with human joy. Strangers hugged, high-fived, cried together. At home and in sports bars, fans posted video of themselves losing their minds, running in circles, jumping up and down. Each one became a believer at that moment. What a December gift to all of us.
Let’s see if the goodwill will get Drake his wish. In the excitement of the play that will make him a star of the highlight films, he threw the football like a quarterback - into the stands. Now, that the ball is part of a famous moment…
So what’s next? Will the Dolphins make it to the playoffs? Will they defeat the Minnesota Vikings next week? Will Tannehill’s ankle heal in time?
Let’s just revel in the Miami Miracle for now.
Online: https://www.miamiherald.com/
Please read our comment policy before commenting.