Years after the Parkland shooting revealed flaws in how Broward schools administer and report student discipline, a new audit finds problems still persist.<\/p>\n
The internal audit found that in many cases the school district failed to document in the district\u2019s student information system\u00a0what punishment, if any, was given to students who bully, fight, vape, disrupt class or commit other offenses prohibited by the district\u2019s student code of conduct.<\/p>\n
District auditors reviewed 22,121 district discipline referrals from Jan. 6 to March 13, 2026, to ensure they were complete. They took a closer look at 124 referrals to see how they were handled.<\/p>\n
The audit identified \u201ccontrol and compliance weaknesses across multiple stages of the discipline process, including referral processing, incident documentation, execution of disciplinary actions,\u201d and reporting of incidents to the state, according to the report.<\/p>\n
District administrators identified the problem as inadequate record-keeping largely caused by the use of a new software program, not poor discipline procedures.<\/p>\n
They are taking steps to improve training and monitoring as the district prepares to open for the new school year next month, vowing that the efforts will \u201cpromote greater consistency, accountability, and understanding of discipline procedures across schools,\u201d according a management response in the audit.<\/p>\n
The audit was reviewed by the district\u2019s Audit Committee on Thursday and is expected to go to the School Board in August.<\/p>\n
Among the findings:<\/p>\n
\u2014 Nearly 2,000 referrals, or 9%, of cases reported never actually got processed in the district\u2019s system, so it\u2019s unclear what, if any, discipline was administered. Of those, 116 reports contained indicators of violations that must be reported to the state, such as battery, fighting, drug paraphernalia, sexual misconduct, or major campus disruption.<\/p>\n
\u2014 The audit found 23 cases, or 19% of all reviewed in detail, where attendance records suggest students didn\u2019t serve part or all of a suspension they received. Most of the 94 students who were assigned to a school-based alternative to an external suspension program, or 62%, were not listed in district records as having attended the program.<\/p>\n
\u2014 There was no documentation that parents received required notifications in 68 of 124 referrals (55%).<\/p>\n
\u2014 Schools did notify the district\u2019s regional office and district security operations center, as required by policy, in 89% of the 108 applicable cases.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Mental health referrals were not documented in district software for 74% of the cases reviewed. Substance abuse counseling documentation was missing in half the applicable cases.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a parent and district community member, the specific metrics regarding the gaps in mental health and substance abuse support were especially concerning to me and just within the broader context of the health and safety of our children and communities,\u201d Mariah Rabideau, a member of the district\u2019s Audit Committee, said during Thursday\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n
Auditors made a number of recommendations for the district, including developing and formally documenting clear procedures for handling discipline, improving training and monitoring and working with the information technology department to develop options to flag unprocessed discipline referrals.<\/p>\n
The district has put a strong focus on trying to improve its discipline procedures following the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland on Feb. 14, 2018, which killed 17 students and staff.<\/p>\n
An investigation by the state-created Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission found that gunman Nikolas Cruz, a former student, had been assigned to a three-day alternative to suspension program called Promise in 2013, but the district could find no evidence that he ever showed up.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe records are inconsistent and inconclusive as to where Cruz was during his assignment to PROMISE on the three days in 2013,\u201d says a commission report from July 2018.<\/p>\n