Broward-County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie Arrested

New York, NY,– On Wednesday morning, Florida Department of Law Enforcement officers arrested Broward County Public Schools superintendent Robert Runcie. Runcie was charged with perjury, being accused of lying under oath in testimony he gave to a grand jury between March 31st and April 1st. 

Robert Runcie and Barbara Myrick. (Broward Sheriff's Office)At the time, the grand jury had been investigating a number of issues: whether there was unnecessary and avoidable risk to students, through a refusal or failure to follow school safety mandates, whether there were public entities committing fraud by accepting state funds that were allocated for school safety measures, whether fraud occurred through the mismanagement or diversion of funds for school safety by school officials, and whether school officials underreported incidents of criminal activity to the Department of Education.

School Board attorney Barbara Myrick was also taken into custody, but she was charged with unlawful disclosure of statewide grand jury proceedings. It is believed she committed her offenses at or around the same time as Runcie, between March 31st and April 14th.

In a statement,  School Board Chair Dr. Rosalind Osgood had this to say: 

"The School Board of Broward County, Florida (SBBC) will provide transparency, accountability and integrity as we continue to focus on delivering the highest quality educational experience for our students, teachers and staff...As legal processes continue, Broward County Public Schools will operate as normal under the District’s leadership team.”

*Information obtained from various sources.