Watch: Kashuv Producing Own Ads To Take Down 'Complicit' School Board Members
Kyle Kashuv is a 16-year-old survivor of the February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and will be starting his senior year this fall at the Parkland, Florida, public school.
Just like many of his classmates, Kashuv is trying to bring positive change to his school district in the wake of this tragedy. However, unlike most of his classmates, he is a conservative, and he fights for both First and Second Amendment rights and his fellow students’ safety.
“I’m basically going against the entire tide,” Kashuv said to Reason. “Coming out in support of the Second Amendment right after a school shooting is no easy thing to do.”
“I lost like 90 percent of all the friends I’ve had because of it,” the teen admitted. “It’s quite saddening because it shows that people just don’t have the ability to be friends with people who have disagreeing opinions with them.”
But Kashuv’s differing opinions on the First and Second Amendments make him stand out among his peers.
The Truth about the Second Amendment https://t.co/AndXWWJxph
— Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) August 13, 2018
Now the Parkland, Florida teen is raising awareness about the problems his school district faces with incumbent Donna Korn on the school board.
In her opening convocation at the start of the school year, Korn said, “We’re coming off of an amazing year last year,” failing to mention the 17 lives lost in the shooting on Valentine’s Day.
“Donna Korn saying this was ‘an amazing school year’ is something that we should all take serious note to,” Kashuv told The Western Journal. “She’s currently part of the school board that was complicit in what happened to my school, had shielded corrupt Runcie, and has been involved in a massive cover up.”
“Incompetent Korn needs to go. She’s already shown she will go to any length to save her reputation and puts herself before the students.”
Kashuv is so passionate about creating real change in his community that he even made his own ad in support of school board candidate Ryan Petty, boosting it on his Twitter.
“I made this video so people can see the two candidates side by side. After watching this, to me, it is very clear that we need Petty elected,” the teen said.
On August 28th, we must unseat Incompetent Donna by electing @rpetty to @browardschools School Board.
Mr Petty is someone who every student at Douglas respects. A man who, with @AndrewPollackFL, has united Broward beyond political party. @rpetty will #FixIt! pic.twitter.com/Myyqpzsews
— Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) August 12, 2018
“Mr. Ryan Petty is the clear choice to be elected for the school board. With school safety being on the tip of everyone’s tongue, there’s no one I want more than Ryan fighting for my safety,” Kashuv stated.
“I’ve gotten to know Ryan very well. His son, Patrick, is my best friend,” Kashuv added. “As cliche as this may sound, I trust Ryan as a father figure and there’s no one I’d trust with my safety more than him.
“Ryan will fight for everyone. We’re all part of one American creed and Ryan gets that and will make sure we’re all kept safe and well educated.”
Students’ safety is a crucial issue for both Kashuv and Petty, as Petty lost his daughter in the shooting and Kashuv lost his classmates.
“In short, with school starting in 3 days, me and thousands of other students don’t feel safe going back. No serious steps to safety have been taken. Petty is part of the solution, Korn is part of the problem,” the teen told The Western Journal.
“The Broward school board race is a nonpartisan race. This is beautiful because it allows all the people of Broward to vote beyond party. Unity is something we’re lacking in this country right now and this election is a positive step forward,” Kashuv concluded.
But school board member Donna Korn is not the only official Kashuv has criticized of late.
Recently, Kashuv also called out Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel for appearing on a “Back to School Safety” poster.
You're an absolute disgrace. Putting your face on anything to do with "school safety" is a slap in the face to my classmates and 17 families that are still mourning.
Resign in shame, you self aggrandizing coward. https://t.co/bRyKfNxIwr
— Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) August 11, 2018
The sheriff has been under severe criticism for how he handled his officers’ response to the Valentine’s Day shooting and how he failed to arrest the shooter Nikolas Cruz before the shooting, despite many warnings about Cruz’s mental stability.
“It was absolutely horrendous that he did something like that,” Kashuv said, according to the Daily Caller. “It’s disgusting that he still is in that position, he’s still doing his incompetent job there.”
Kashuv explained: “After the shooting the sheriff had the audacity to go on national television and to blame the NRA, guns and every single aspect but to take responsibility. He lied to the faces of victims and the families of the victims on national television. And then he also had the audacity to blame his subordinates for his inactions and incompetence. He refuses to take any, absolutely any responsibility for actions.”
“His own deputies gave him a vote of no confidence,” Kashuv continued.
One Billboard Just North of Sunrise Boulevard: Union pays for I-95 billboard expressing "no confidence" in Sheriff Scott Israel https://t.co/qnud6t9lCy pic.twitter.com/CI2kl2KSKA
— South Florida Sun Sentinel (@SunSentinel) May 4, 2018
Despite the sheriff’s promises to make the Broward County schools safer, Kashuv said that absolutely nothing has been done and students are coming back to school now still feeling unsafe.
“Nothing has been done to secure our schools,” he concluded. “And the metal detectors that were promised by the sheriff and our superintendent have still not been implemented. We are still unsafe and vulnerable at our schools.”
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