Was Parkland School Massacre Caused By Faulty Worldview?

Guest Bios Show Transcript When a society denies human depravity and sin, the results can be absolutely devastating. And this week on The Roys Report, we’ll be exploring what led to the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, which claimed the lives of 17 people. Joining me will be Max Eden, an author and investigator who says the shooter clearly communicated his murderous intent. But instead of expelling him, the school sought to heal him, and to correct the “injustices” that it believed caused his violence. I really hope you can join us for The Roys Report, this Saturday morning at 11 on AM 1160 Hope for Your Life and on Sunday night at 7 on AM 560 The Answer! This Weeks Guests Max Eden . . . is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. Before joining MI, he was program manager of the education policy studies department at the American Enterprise Institute. Eden’s research interests include early education, school choice, and federal education policy. He was coeditor, with Frederick M. Hess, of The Every Student Succeeds Act: What It Means for Schools, Systems, and States (2017). Eden’s work has appeared in scholarly and popular outlets, such as the Journal of School Choice, Encyclopedia of Education Economics and Finance, Washington Post, U.S. News and World Report, National Review, Claremont Review of Books, and The Weekly Standard. He holds a B.A. in history from Yale University. Show Transcript Note: This transcript has been edited slightly for continuity. Segment 1 JULIE ROYS:  Well, it was the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. But according to my guest today, it was also the most preventable. Welcome to The Roys Report, brought to you in part by Judson University. I’m Julie Roys. And today, we’re examining what led to the school shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018. That shooting in Parkland, Florida, claimed the lives of 17 people. But my guest today says the shooter was a psychopath with an established pattern of violence and murderous intent. But administrators did nothing to stop him. Why? Well, in part because of career ambition and bad, liberal policies. But more fundamentally, because administrators had a faulty view of both reality and mankind. My guest today is co-author of a new book Why Meadow Died: The People and Policies That Created the Parkland Shooter and Endanger America’s Students. This book is already a number-one best-seller on Amazon and it actually doesn’t release until Tuesday! But I’ve been able to read a pre-release copy. And what this book describes is absolutely shocking. When he was just 2 years old, the Parkland shooter—Nicolas Cruz—reportedly tossed a 4-month-old baby into a pool. In pre-K, Cruz had to wear a restrictive harness just to ride the school bus. In middle school, he made a video of himself drowning a cat. In high school, Cruz was constantly talking about guns, a desire to kill, and even to cannibalize other people. He vandalized Stoneman Douglas High School, left death threats, attacked other students, and brought weapons to school. But instead of expelling Cruz, administrators tried to manage his behavior. And instead of arresting him, administrators and police minimized his behavior. Again, the question is why? Why didn’t administrators or someone in authority do something? Well, joining me to discuss this is Max Eden. He’s the co-author of Why Meadow Died. He’s also a senior fellow at The Manhattan Institute who’s done extensive research on education policy and school discipline. So Max, welcome! It is a pleasure to have you! MAX EDEN:  Yeah, thank you so much for having me, Julie.   JULIE ROYS:  So, Max, help us understand this mind-boggling failure that led this school to really ignore all of these red flags and allow this violent man really free reign to wreak havoc there at the school. What happened?  MAX EDEN:  Yes.  It’s a big story to tell. So I think it might be good to start with a little bit of