Two parents of students shot and killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida are running together for two seats on the Broward County School Board, Politico is reporting.
Lori Alhadeff lost her 14-year-old daughter, Alyssa in the mass shooting at the school. Ryan Petty's 14-year-old daughter, Alaina, also died in the shooting. Seventeen people were murdered in the Feb. 14 shooting spree and another 17 were injured.
Both Alhadeff and Petty say they want to bring more security, accountability and transparency to the school system, Politico noted.
"I don't want Alyssa's life to be in vain," Alhadeff told Politico. "I'm doing this because I don't want another parent to go through the pain and anguish that I have to go through every day.
"I don't want any child to have to say to their mom, ‘Mommy, am I going to die today if I go to school?' It is my job. It is my duty to make sure these schools are safe. And the only way I'm going to do that is if I get on the school board to make those decisions and make those changes."
The Broward County school district is the sixth largest in the nation and the second largest in Florida.
"If I don't get in there and change it, it's unlikely to change," Petty said. "And we'll end up continuing the same approach that clearly failed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
"If I don't stand up and let other parents understand the risks and threats that are in our schools, I miss an opportunity to honor the memory of my daughter and the memory of the other victims."
Alhadeff is a former classroom teacher, according to the SunSentinel. Petty works in the telecom industry. He was named to the state commission investigating the tragedy.
Both were scheduled to officially announce their candidacies on Tuesday.
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