School Security Guard Who Didn't Stop the Parkland Shooter Was Suspended for Sexually Harassing Students

A disciplinary panel recommended Andrew Medina be fired. He was not.

CARLOS GARCIA RAWLINS/REUTERS/Newscom

Lest you thought we were finished with tales of unfathomable incompetence on the part of Broward County, Florida, authority figures, consider this: The first Marjory Stoneman Douglas security guard who spotted Nikolas Cruz on campus and took no action to detain him was previously suspended for sexually harassing students.

Due to his inaction during the shooting, Andrew Medina was initially reassigned to an administrative position elsewhere in the Broward County school system. But on Tuesday, the superintendent finally decided to terminate his employment.

Medina worked as an unarmed security guard at Stoneman Douglas. In 2017, a disciplinary panel recommended that he be fired for sexually harassing two female students. (One of those students, Meadow Pollack, was later killed in the shooting.) But school officials decided to suspend Medina for three days instead, according to CBS News.

On the day of the shooting, Medina was the first school official to spot Cruz—who was no longer welcome at the school, and known to be a threat. He did not confront Cruz, and apparently failed to realize that Cruz was armed. He took no action, other than radioing another unarmed security guard, David Taylor, to inform him that Cruz was headed his way. When the shooting started, Taylor hid in a janitor's closet, according to The Sun Sentinel. He was initially reassigned as well, but has now been fired.

Unlike School Resource Officer Scot Peterson—who also proved to be incompetent—neither Medina nor Taylor were armed. But if Medina wasn't aware that Cruz was armed, he should have pursued him. If he was aware, but was afraid to approach, at the very least he should have made a "code red" call. He did not.

It seems fairly clear that the school district's first impulse was to merely transfer Medina into a different role, and only changed course due to outrage from parents—including Pollack's father—who just recently learned about the sexual harassment episode. It's astonishing that a school guard could sexually harass a female student, and then utterly fail to prevent her death, and still find employment within the district. But that's public schools for you.

Comments

[Just Say'n]

I feel sorry for the kids who were abused by staffers and then left to die by these same cowards. It's also sad that some of the surviving children were used as political props by Michael Bloomberg and his allies in the media and the Democratic Party who decided to use dead kids to help their electoral chances.

This school should be razed to the ground and all the employees barred from ever working with children again. Such terrible people.

[a tandem]

The gun control lobby is truly sick. No wonder why on actual long temr metrics, all polling entities, Gallup, Pew, WSJ, Ipsos show support for substantive gun control has been dropping in 50, 40, 30,2, 10 year metrics.
Events like this happen the gun ban lobby just tries to ram their positions before the facts are known

[Iheartskeet]

You might want to pump the brakes on that.

Two teachers actually ran TOWARD the gunfire, one of them died using his body to shield students. Other school shootings have shown quite a few teachers to be selfless and brave. Let's target those who didn't do their jobs, not take a shit on everyone.

[Iheartskeet]

In fact its interesting to consider what just one or two armed teachers might have been able to do.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Good Lord. This whole sorry tale just gets sorrier and sorrier.

[Just Say'n]

Or if it happened in Canada it just got "sawrier and sawrier".

[mad.casual]

"swarrior and swarrior"

[Just Say'n]

Yeah, yours is better

[mad.casual]

*Thinks back*

The shooting took place on Feb. 14th. Is there a reason why this man's/security team's incompetence is being further piled upon? Not to defend them, just that four months after the shooting and more than a year after the harassment makes it sound like someone else should be catching heat for sitting on this. Especially (let's play What If?!) considering that if they'd canned the guy for harassment sooner somebody borderline competent or at least more motivated to do his job properly might have been there.

[mad.casual]

more than a year after the harassment

My mistake, more than a year since the disciplinary panel recommend he be canned for the harassment claims.

[Iheartskeet]

Agree. Looks like quite a bit of rot higher up the food chain. I'd surely like to know a lot more about that. I seems pretty well established that the security guys were Keystone Kops.

[The Last American Hero]

And yet it's the NRA that's the villain here and got to attend a struggle session on CNN.

[Citizen X]

Christ, what a turd.

[Citizen X]

It seems fairly clear that the school district's first impulse was to merely transfer Medina into a different role, and only changed course due to outrage from parents?including Pollack's father?who just recently learned about the sexual harassment episode.

Christ, what a whole punchbowl full of turds.

[Just Say'n]

This is exhibit A in "why vouchers are the only moral way of providing a publicly financed education, if that's what we've decided we want to do".

[ThomasD]

This.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

I'm glad there are solid protections for working people here. Imagine if he'd have just been fired. Or worse!

Union YES!

[General Skarr's Prize Petunias]

Jesus Christ, this story just keeps making this guy look like more of a shithead.

Eight months from now, we'll learn that prior to this, he raped a puppy in front of a bunch of kindergarteners and that's why he was at the high school instead of the elementary.

[Just Say'n]

"Some back story on the puppy that was allegedly raped. The puppy espoused some far-right views and was wearing a MAGA hat at the time."

- Brian Stelter, CNN

[General Skarr's Prize Petunias]

Politifact rates this statement: true.

A show of teeth is a sign of aggression in many animals, and aggressiveness is a common trait among the far-right.

[sharmota4zeb]

Hey, New Jersey looked into outlawing bestiality, because prosecutors were unable to convict a man on animal cruelty charges when he allegedly hooked up with a cow. I assume this means the judge looked at the video and concluded that the cow was having a good time.

[Libertymike]

Has anybody bothered to check out the details of the sexual harassment allegations?

Is there irrefutable evidence that Medina did, in fact, sexually harass the two female students?

The link furnished by Robby provides no such answers. In fact, school officials, according to the CBS Story, acknowledged that no such irrefutable evidence existed.

Translation: she said / he denied.

Just because this Medina is a public sector parasite who played the role so many in law enforcement do, the coward, does not thereby mean that allegations of sexual harassment against him must be true.

[Shirley Knott]

But who ever heard of high school girls being vicious or untruthful?

[Longtobefree]

I did. In 1964.

[Kristian H.]

Other than this from the story?

"In 2017, a disciplinary panel recommended that he be fired for sexually harassing two female students. (One of those students, Meadow Pollack, was later killed in the shooting.) But school officials decided to suspend Medina for three days instead, according to CBS News."

Recommendation for firing and an actual suspension seem like more than he said / she said.

[Libertymike]

Kristian -

The link to CBS News furnished by Robby states:

The school district said that Medina was suspended because he denied the allegations, had no previous disciplinary record, and "there was no DIRECT EVIDENCE (emphasis added) to distinguish between the conflicting statements provided by the student and the employee."

So, what is there beyond the she said? "Seems like" does not carry the day.

[jcw]

So, what is there beyond the she said? "Seems like" does not carry the day

Just as an FYI, two sentences below that:

Broward County Schools investigators say one of the students' stories was corroborated by surveillance video of Medina approaching her in a hallway on Feb. 16, 2017. You ask for evidence, the investigators deliver.

[Libertymike]

Yes, I read that, but the story does not specify what story was corroborated. All it says is that Medina can be seen approaching the student.

[Longtobefree]

And by approaching, they mean he was walking south while she was walking north?
Of course, the federal requirements are that an accusation is equivalent to conviction when the accusation comes from a human feeling female at the time of the absolutely true allegation.

[jcw]

Sounds to me like you need all evidence presented to you to make any conclusion about this dude, which is fine. The news article and his character is enough for me to make some decisions about whether I believe this asshole or a couple of students unable to protect themselves from him or from douche with a gun.

Everyone's got their thresholds!

[Libertymike]

Well, put it this way: I'm the type of guy you would want representing you in cases where you have not gotten a fair shake. If you hire me to represent you before a town Planning or Zoning board, not so much.

[a tandem]

Mike, the likely issue with the video is that while it may not have shown the actual crime, it probably indicated he had been being untruthful about the event.
When you are dealing with he said she said finders of fact are usually allowed to consider reduced credibility of one side if there is evidence they lied about a material aspect.

None of us know for certain, but the finders of fact seem to have considered the girls statements more credible even if not raising to the level of criminally provable.

[mad.casual]

Just because this Medina is a public sector parasite who played the role so many in law enforcement do, the coward, does not thereby mean that allegations of sexual harassment against him must be true.

Ah, the illusive "right to an unarmed high school security position" amendment!

[sharmota4zeb]

I can see the due process argument, but I don't care enough to read through the links and make a more informed judgement.

[mad.casual]

If he were a security guard in a women's clothing store and he only got two complaints by female customers that he was making them "feel creepy" his employer still wouldn't owe him a job.

If the handbook says he gets a hearing or three strikes before firing, I agree they've got to stick with that but it's not like the claims were more broadly discriminatory or he was exercising his free speech rights by sexually harassing these girls or anything.

[$park? The Misanthrope]

Stupid

[Deconstructed Potato]

libertyMike makes the point I was going to make. This article is basically just "remember we hate this guy! Right?!" without anything of substance to report.

[ThomasD]

To the extent that the school accepted the validity of the complaint(s), but still did nothing meaningful to address them your point, while possible accurate, does nothing to mitigate their feckless behavior.

[$park? The Misanthrope]

When the shooting started, Taylor hid in a janitor's closet, according to The Sun Sentinel.

So brave. So very, very brave.

[Fuck you, Shikha (Nunya)]

The mops weren't going to defend themselves.

Or maybe the hide, run, fight training had too much effect on those administering the training.

[Longtobefree]

Well, he was one of the unarmed employees - - - - - - -

[jcw]

In 2017, a disciplinary panel recommended that he be fired for sexually harassing two female students. (One of those students, Meadow Pollack, was later killed in the shooting.)

Hell, that sentence packs a punch.

[KWlib]

From the 'You've got to be kidding me' department.

An adult school security guard sexually harasses a minor student and keeps his job?

HOLY FUCK!

[loveconstitution1789]

Was he recommended for suspension for whipping out his HOGG?

[JeremyR]

If a random unarmed dude in a Waffle House can charge a guy with a gun, then trained police/security officers can.

[Longtobefree]

In the unarmed dude case, it was a free choice.
In the case of the 'trained' security guys, there are sufficient court rulings that they do not have to come and protect citizens. You get what you pay for.
And we for damn sure do NOT want 'trained professional' FBI agents on school grounds 'cause they can't dance.

Give it some thought; if you were armed, and felt you had sufficient practice, would you really expect to get a clear shot with a safe background in a school crowded with panicking students? I would have a hard time firing into a room full of kids, even with the bad guy front and center. Yell and distract him, sure. Throw things to break his concentration and spoil his aim (if he was even aiming), sure. Shove the gun in his gut, force him to a wall, and pull the trigger? if I could, yeah.

[a tandem]

The issue is not whether trained armed teachers and or administrative staff, or Security or RSO or police at schools can prevent ay and every attack, but if they can mitigate, reduce, deter or stop some of them. It is a virtually certainly they can do the later.
The problem here seems to be the typical problem with public school systems, especially unionized ones -- they are inherently corrupt and should not be in charge of this. My sister's kids are in DC's school system. the DCPS have been caught over all over systematically lying about testing scores for graduation from each grade and school. They got caught handing out what are supposed to be lottery placements for better schools to themselves and poltical cronies (surprise 100% to Democrats) a couple of years ago there was a scandal, one person was fired -- and a few months ago it turns out the new chancellor had to be fired/forced resignation for the same thing.
The teachers union nominated teacher form her son's school won one of five the annual Washington Post teachers award -- and he tuned out to be molesting little boys.

if planned parenthood can run abortion clinics and get government funding, it ought to be funded by our government to run this program nationally

[Fuck you, Shikha (Nunya)]

What in anything you started has anything to do with funding this federally? Post hoc additions of planned parenthood don't work as evidence to support your claim. Better than funding this through the money laundering scheme that is Washington DC, why not let states figure this out on their own? Forcing them to send even more tax dollars that they get back in pennies on the dollar, while being forced to implement strict riders attached to the money, seems like a piss poor continuation of the same tripe we try with everything else today.

[a tandem]

Post hoc additions of planned parenthood don't work as evidence to support your claim.

So valid examples don't mean anything? Do you even know what post ad hoc is? that has to with casual fallacies. There are many examples of vendors providing expert services to government, it is more frequently than not more efficient, not less than having the government employees do a job..

I get you don't support planned parenthood getting money, but the fact of the matter is they get well over half a billion a year in government contracts and government funding.

I also get your skepticism of anything government related, but NRA the largest firearms training safety and usage entity in the US by far and is a proven effective.

[NashTiger]

For all of you who love to pile on the Catholic Church for reassigning child predators 30 years ago, the modern government Public School bureaucracies and Unions are 100x worse. It is the most underreported "story" out there.

[Ghost on the Highway]

Sacrificing a couple minnows (2 coaches) to show justice was served

[Complete link building]

Great! I agree they've got to stick with that but it's not like the claims were more broadly discriminatory or he was exercising his free speech rights by sexually harassing these girls or anything.