Stoneman Douglas security guards fired by Broward school board

Andrew Medina, David Taylor released after pulled from reassignment list

PARKLAND, Fla. – Two security guards at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have been fired for their alleged inaction during the Feb. 14 shootings that left 17 people dead.

Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie pulled the names of David Taylor and Andrew Medina from the reassignment list.

"We have reviews going on and I don't want to get into it too much," Runcie said.  

Medina, who also served as a baseball coach at the school, was the first person to see shooter Nikolas Cruz enter school grounds on the day of the shooting.

In interviews with law enforcement officials, Medina later said he knew Cruz was trying to enter the building but did not confront him or issue an alert which would have locked down the school. Medina later retracted some of his statements, claiming Cruz was too far away to be identified.

Medina was transferred from Stoneman Douglas after an investigation showed he was the subject of sexual harassment claims made by students against him.

One of the students allegedly harassed by Medina was Meadow Pollack, a victim of the school shooting.

Medina denied all the claims and only said he made positive comments to the students.

Taylor was also transferred away from Stoneman Douglas.

The decision came as school leaders signed off on the job requirements for its guardianship program -- the first in a series of steps the district will take to place an armed person at all 234 schools in the county. 

"We have to have as large a pool as possible to choose from. Let's not be unrealistic," school board member Donna Korn said.  

The district remains hopeful it will be able to hire and train enough people come August in order to meet a state mandate issued in the wake of the Parkland shooting that every school have a full-time armed person on campus. 

Currently, more than half of Broward County schools don't meet the requirement. 

"We're also working out arrangements with local municipalities. If need be, we will end up paying for LEO on overtime," Runcie said. 

The district is looking to hire 80 to 100 armed guards, each with at least two years of law enforcement or military experience, although four years is preferred.

The salary is between $25,000 to $32,000. 

Candidates will undergo a criminal background check and psychological evaluation and they'll only patrol the perimeter of schools. 

"They're not in classrooms. They are not offering curriculum. They are protecting the campus," school board member Robin Bartleman said. "That's what I expect them to do."