Tuesday marks the six-month anniversary of the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Fla. It also marks one day before students in Broward County go back to school, and just three days until early voting starts for Broward County School Board.
Students have their new class schedules, and vote-by-mail ballots are already in the hands of thousands of voters; the campaigns for new school board candidates have been active for weeks.
Some Marjory Stoneman Douglas students have spent their summer focusing on making a change at home, as they believe the Broward County School Board failed to secure schools leading up to the massacre, and have again failed to make significant changes over the summer; after all, classes at Marjory Stoneman Douglas start Wednesday, along with the rest of Broward County, and security protocols are still not fully in place.
Other Parkland survivors-turned-activists have all but left Broward County behind, traveling on a national bus tour, scoring a book deal, and endorsing candidates far outside the scope of Florida politics.
Those knocking doors for new school board candidates, sweating in the 90-degree August heat of South Florida, are starting to get frustrated with their peers who are only willing to take a national approach.
As the school board races heat up, Kyle Kashuv, Parkland survivor and Second Amendment supporter, has called upon March for Our Lives supporters to put aside partisan politics and roll up their sleeves to make a change locally.
With school starting tomorrow and today being exactly 6 months removed from Parkland, I call on everyone to stop the partisan bashing for a day
While I disagree with most of what @davidhogg111 and the other @AMarch4OurLives students say, I know they truly care and want to #FixIt
— Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) August 14, 2018
Hunter Pollack, brother of Meadow Pollack who lost her life in the shooting, is calling “BS” on David Hogg’s interest in putting his left-wing advocacy aside.
I call BS! If they truly wanted to fix it he’d be fighting beside us with this school board race. Broken promises. Can’t even endorse Loria or Ryan who are making the true sacrifice and are Parkland Heroes!
— Hunter Pollack (@PollackHunter) August 14, 2018
Hogg, the poster child of the March for Our Lives, has yet to knock one door in Broward County, according to multiple sources involved in the local school board campaigns.
While Hogg did not respond to requests for comment from the Washington Examiner, he does publicly admit that his focus is on November races.
Putting in 100+ hours a week so our kids won’t have to ??
The young people will win November 6th
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) August 14, 2018
However, Hogg also says young people should be knocking doors. Why won’t Hogg practice what he preaches?
The #RoadtoChange has made it clear to me that the young people will win if they
-work on political campaigns
-knock on doors
-make sure everyone they know is voting
-run for office
-register themselves and others to voteand most importantly vote on
NOVEMBER 6th!!!!
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) August 13, 2018
Update: Hunter Pollack turns up the heat on David Hogg regarding his choice of endorsements.
So you can endorse Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as future president, but not Lori Alhadeff and Ryan Petty- both parents whose kids were killed in Parkland as candidates for Broward School Board? https://t.co/2uIYvpcuK5
— Hunter Pollack (@PollackHunter) August 15, 2018
“[Hogg] won’t endorse Ryan Petty or Lori Alhadeff, they both lost their kids […] As David Hogg, he should come out and endorse these parents,” Pollack told the Washington Examiner. “We’re going to win with or without him but it just shows you his true colors.”
Kenneth Preston, a 19 year old student heavily involved in the school board campaigns, told the Examiner that some who gained a “massive platform” from the Parkland shooting have “forgotten what happened here at home and have neglected the local election.”
“They haven’t dedicated any of their time to the school board races,” said Preston.
Kashuv agreed, noting that he’s seen “little to nothing from Hogg” but that he commended fellow MSD student Cameron Kasky for putting aside partisan politics. Hogg on the other hand has “straight out rejected” the Pollack family’s requests for help, according to Kashuv.
“How can you reject a cry from help with someone who lost their daughter at Stoneman Douglas?” Kashuv asked.
