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PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on the aftermath of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida (all times local):
3:30 p.m.
The brother of Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz says in court documents that the $500,000 bond set for his trespassing charge is far too high.
The attorney for 18-year-old Zachary Cruz said in documents Thursday there's no justification for such a high bond amount for a misdemeanor. The documents point out that Zachary Cruz already posted the standard $25 bond and should be released.
Zachary Cruz was arrested Monday after deputies spotted him riding a skateboard at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School despite being warned not to visit the campus. A judge imposed the high bond amount and many other restrictions.
The motion says Zachary Cruz had no weapons and did not resist arrest.
Nikolas Cruz faces a 34-count indictment for the Feb. 14 shooting at the school that killed 17 people.
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10:55 a.m.
The Parkland teens spearheading Saturday's March For Our Lives rally in Washington are being hailed on the cover of Time magazine.
The cover features Marjory Stoneman Douglas students Jaclyn Corin, Alex Wind, Emma Gonzalez, Cameron Kasky and David Hogg, representing a much larger group that is driving a movement against gun violence. The students are also holding a gun-reform rally Thursday at a charter school in Washington where two students were killed with guns this year.
Back in Miami, the organization Sandy Hook Promise honored Miami-Dade County Public Schools on Wednesday for its efforts to train students on how to identify and help at-risk students before violence happens. More than 3 million students have been trained across the US. The group says it has helped avert multiple school shooting plots, several teen suicides, and other acts of violence.
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10:30 a.m.
A Florida judge has rejected an attempt to remove Broward County prosecutors and its public defender from the Nikolas Cruz criminal case.
Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer said in an order dated Wednesday that attorney Alex Arreaza lacks legal standing to make such a motion.
Arreaza represents 15-year-old Anthony Borges, who was shot five times in the Valentine's Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 people.
Arreaza had claimed the two offices have a conflict because both signed a 2016 agreement along with county school and law enforcement officials aimed at handling school disciplinary issues without involving law enforcement.
Arreaza claimed the 2016 agreement could come into play in the murder and attempted murder case against 19-year-old Cruz because it may have affected how his actions and behavior were handled.
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8 a.m.
When students return from spring break to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, they'll be required to use clear backpacks and wear identification badges at all times.
Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie told parents about the security changes in a two-page letter. It says the backpacks will be provided to students at no cost when they return to school on April 2. Runcie also said metal detectors may soon be installed at the high school in Parkland, Florida, where a teenager who carried an assault weapon in a large bag killed 17 people on Valentine's Day.
Also, schools across the district will see reinforced safety protocols. They include locking all classroom doors, upgrading surveillance systems and expediting measures to require visitors to enter through a single point of entry.
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11 p.m.
Eight highway patrol troopers are scheduled to bolster security at the Florida high school where last month's shooting rampage occurred.
Gov. Rick Scott ordered the troopers to begin assisting sheriff's deputies in patrolling Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High on Thursday. This comes days after the suspect's brother was arrested there, two other students were caught carrying knives and another made online threats.
The troopers will be stationed at the school indefinitely along with Broward County deputies, which will allow an armed guard at every campus entrance point.
Before the shooting, the school was patrolled by one armed deputy and unarmed guards. An unspecified number of deputies, some armed with rifles, were added after the school reopened.
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