In a rare move, national politicians and activists are getting involved in a local school board race, they say, to make kids safer at school. But this is not just any school district. It is the Florida district that is home to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of the Feb. 14 massacre that left 17 students and teachers dead and another 17 injured.

Donna Korn, the incumbent, was on the school board when the shooting happened and is heavily endorsed by Democrats though she has no party affiliation. Her opponent, a Republican, is Ryan Petty, whose daughter Alaina was a member of the junior ROTC and among the victims murdered in the massacre.

In a rare move Petty has been endorsed by two of the biggest names in the Republican party. One is Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

“I urge my fellow Floridians in #BrowardCounty to vote for @rpetty for School Board. No one has worked harder or will be a more effective advocate on the issue of school safety. I have seen firsthand his passion & drive,” Sen. Rubio wrote on Twitter.

I urge my fellow Floridians in #BrowardCounty to vote for @rpetty for School Board. No one has worked harder or will be a more effective advocate on the issue of school safety. I have seen firsthand his passion & drive. He was a driving force behind #StopSchoolViolenceAct https://t.co/rZQFAc0JmU

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) August 9, 2018

Retiring Republican Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch gave his endorsement to Petty three hours prior.

“When tragedy struck in his community and he lost his sweet daughter Alaina, @rpetty jumped to action, helping me usher in the most meaningful school safety legislation in history. I know him well, and I know students in Broward County will be in great hands with his leadership,” Sen. Hatch wrote on Twitter.

When tragedy struck in his community and he lost his sweet daughter Alaina, @rpetty jumped to action, helping me usher in the most meaningful school safety legislation in history.

I know him well, and I know students in Broward County will be in great hands with his leadership. pic.twitter.com/bJa5u1quDA

— Orrin G. Hatch Foundation (@OrrinHatch) August 9, 2018

School board races are traditionally non-partisan, but in this community, in this race and in this moment in history, politics is playing a major role. Petty was endorsed by the Republican Party and the Democrat Party formally endorsed Korn.

Petty has even received the endorsement of the school’s most prominent conservative voice, student Kyle Kashuv. In an exclusive statement to Citizen Truth, Kashuv expressed his support for Petty and his belief that Petty is the man who will make schools safer.

“When 2 US senators get involved in a local election, no matter the party of the senators, people should take note,” Kashuv said. “This election is about fixing the corruption of Broward and showing the rest of the world that we can make schools safe”

The school board election is on Aug. 28. The same day as the Republican and Democrat primaries.