Ty Thompson, the principal of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, is under investigation but will stay at the school for now, teachers were told Thursday.
The district also is bringing former Stoneman Douglas Principal Dan Traeger out of retirement to serve at the school, and the district will shift Thompson’s duties, two teachers who attended the staff meeting Thursday afternoon told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Stoneman Douglas already has two principals, Thompson and Theresa Hall, who was transferred from West Broward High to assist the school after the massacre on Feb. 14, 2018, of 17 staff and students. It was not clear whether Traeger would serve as a third principal.
Superintendent Robert Runcie removed three assistant principals and a security specialist in November after a report from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, which found numerous failures in the way administrators handled the tragedy Feb. 14 as well as potential warning signs earlier.
In January, the school district retained the law firm Cole, Scott, Kissane for $200 an hour to investigate those employees’ actions, including whether they investigated complaints about the former student who would go on to commit the massacre, whether they handled emergency procedures properly, whether gates at the school were secured and other matters.
It’s unclear whether the same firm will review Thompson as well. School district officials said last month that the investigation of the assistant principals and security specialist was expected to be concluded by April.
Thompson was not at the school at the time of the shooting. However, the Safety Commission found fault in his leadership, saying he appeared uninformed about threats and other student safety matters. Runcie has said numerous times that the investigation into the employees could be later expanded to include Thompson, although it’s not clear what specific issues may have caused this.
This is a developing story. Check back for more information.
Staff writer Lois Solomon contributed to this report.
stravis@sun-sentinel.com, 561-243-6637 or Twitter @smtravis.