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Florida Sen Rick Scott Invites Parkland Father To SOTU

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Neetu Arnold Contributor
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Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott announced Monday he will bring Andrew Pollack, who lost his daughter in the Parkland shooting, to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday.

Pollack’s daughter Meadow was one of 17 lives lost during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018.

Scott said on Twitter he and Pollack worked on passing the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act in March 2018, which helped establish a school safety commission to investigate the shooting.

“Since the shooting in Parkland last year, I have gotten to know @AndrewPollackFL and his family, and I have been humbled to see their dedication to improving our state in honor of his daughter, Meadow,” Scott tweeted Monday. “I’m honored to have him as my guest at the #SOTU tomorrow night.”

“He’s become both a partner and a friend,” Scott said in a separate tweet. “I worked closely with Andy to pass the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, and I will continue to work with him and other Parkland parents to improve our schools and keep our students and teachers safe.”

The safety commission’s January 2019 report detailed the failures that happened the day of the shooting and made recommendations like arming teachers(RELATED: DeSantis Suspends Sheriff After Poor Response To Parkland Shooting)

Meadow Pollack was killed outside a locked women’s bathroom by shooter Nikolas Cruz, according to the report. The commission said her life, along with other students, could have been saved if they could use the “bathroom as a place of safety to avoid being shot.”

Pollack was originally on the committee, but resigned June 2018 to focus on electing new Broward County Public School board members, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Scott appointed Pollack to Florida’s education board before finishing his second term as governor, The Associated Press reported. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, however, rejected Pollack along with several of Scott’s last-minute appointments.

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