In this heart-wrenching episode, recorded just days after the five year anniversary of the Parkland school shooting, Max Schachter recalls the day his 14-year-old son, Alex, was murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.
Schachter, who is the founder and executive director of Safe Schools for Alex 501(c)(3), lays out the countless failures leading up to the event, during the shooting, and in the aftermath that show how this tragedy was wholly preventable.
Having since taken action to become a leading school safety advocate, Schachter explains some of the sweeping changes he helped institute both statewide and nationally. He provides a wealth of resources and information that parents and schools can use to put student safety first.
Episode Guest
Max Schachter is a national school safety advocate. His son Alex is one of the 17 victims murdered in the Parkland school shooting on Valentine’s Day 2018. Max is the founder and executive director of Safe Schools for Alex 501(c)(3). Their mission is to provide most current school safety best practices and resources to students, parents, school districts and law enforcement so that all children can learn in a safe environment.
Since the heartbreaking day that changed Max’s life forever, he has been advocating for policy change at the highest levels of the United States government. He has worked alongside members of congress, leaders of all major federal agencies, and Presidents of the United States to make schools safer. Max has testified as a subject matter expert before the United States House and Senate and multiple state legislatures. In August 2018 he advocated for the creation of a federal agency to house national school safety best practices. In June 2019, Max’s vision became a reality when President Trump created the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse at SchoolSafety.gov. In July 2022 Max attended the White House ceremony where President Biden announced the most significant gun safety legislation in 27 years, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which made SchoolSafety.gov permanent and law.
Max has also worked to improve the safety and security of Florida’s 2.4 million students through his appointment to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas (MSD) High School Public Safety Commission. The MSD commission, established by former Governor Rick Scott, was tasked with leading the statewide investigation into the Parkland school shooting and developing recommendations to protect Florida’s children.
Guest Information
Website: maxschachter.com
Website: Safe Schools For Alex
Email: info@safeschoolsforalex.org
Episode Information
