SARATOGA SPRINGS — Through tears and a breaking voice, Max Schachter recanted the events of a day that no parent wishes to live through – the day his son was killed in school by a mass shooter at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL.
On Monday, October 28, Max Schacter spoke at the Saratoga Hilton at an event hosted by Saratoga Parents for Safer Schools, the county’s Deputy Sheriff’s PBA and Robin Dalton for Safety Commissioner.
“We cannot prevent the next Parkland if we don’t know what happened at Parkland. If we don’t understand the failures of the Broward County School Board of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, we cannot correct those mistakes and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
After that fateful day, Schachter joined his local public safety commission and has since dedicated countless hours working alongside law enforcement and elected officials to investigate every detail of what led up to the shooting. The focus now is to address how “red flags” could’ve been handled, how to prevent another school massacre from occurring and to stop one promptly if they were to occur.
“It’s not enough just to do lockdown drills anymore. There has to be an active and sound response policy,” said Schachter.
Months of research with their local safety commission revealed cultural habits such as locking bathroom doors – which prevented easy access to hiding spots, and having a visual window into the classroom – that allowed the shooter to actively see and target a student, all contributed to several deaths. Aside from habits, the research revealed that there was a lack of continuous training within the school and the police department in regard to dealing with an active shooter on campus.
There have been many differing opinions over the past year as to the best ways to protect the students of Saratoga Springs School District, but one thing that all parents could agree on, that “another Parkland” should never happen here. Several members of the school board, superintendent Dr. Patton, members of the local sheriff’s department, parents and students came out that evening to show their vested interest in taking actions towards creating a safer community.
Schacter started a foundation in memory of his son – Safe Schools for Alex – which is dedicated to its mission of creating a safer educational environment.
“This year I have made a commitment to travel the country, tell Alex’s story and all the lessons learned and the best practices that were developed as a result of the massacre.”
