Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

Mom of Parkland Shooting Victim Wins School Board Seat

Ryan Petty and Lori Alhadeff were running Tuesday for seats on the Broward County school board

The mother of a victim of the Parkland school massacre has been elected to the district's school board, but another was trailing.

Lori Alhadeff easily won an open seat Tuesday on the Broward County school board, representing the district that includes Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Her daughter Alyssa was one of 17 who died in the February attack.

Alhadeff, who was running for the open District 4 seat that includes Stoneman Douglas, went up against Tennille Doe-Decoste, the assistant director of parks and recreation in Miramar, and Coral Springs parent Michael Kottler.

"The death of my daughter, Alyssa, empowered me to want to run for school board, to be able to have a vote, to make change," Alhadeff said. "This has absolutely been worth it, 110 percent."

Meanwhile, Ryan Petty was trailing incumbent Donna Korn. Korn would need to win 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff. Petty's daughter Alaina was slain in the attack.

"I hope she's proud of me, what I've tried to do is bring people together like she did," he told NBC 6 on Tuesday.

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In another district, incumbent Laurie Rich Levinson easily defeated Richard Mendelson, a former Stoneman Douglas teacher who was close friends with coach Aaron Feis, who also died.

The election was seen as a referendum on the district's policies surrounding the shooting.

In response to the shooting, county voters overwhelmingly approved a board-backed property tax increase that will give teachers raises and pay for additional school police and security officers.

Parents of MSD students are demanding action from Broward County school board. NBC 6’s Marissa Bagg reports.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
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