Supporters hand students flowers
2 weeks after shooting, well-wishers cheer on their return
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High’s students returned to class Wednesday morning, exactly two weeks after a gunman opened fire with an AR-15 in a school building, killing 14 students and three school staff members.
The massacre was among the worst school shootings in U.S. history. It sparked a nationwide debate over school safety, with student survivors calling for dramatic changes to gun laws.
On Wednesday, students returned to a place both familiar and surreal, with armed guards, TV trucks, and piles of flowers and homemade memorials outside.
Students wearing memorial T-shirts snaked their way through crowds of well-wishers, some of whom passed out carnations and held up signs of support. Hundreds of police officers lined entrances to the school, some giving high-fives to students as they passed.
There were support dogs and even a bevy of ponies painted with “MSD Strong” offering free pony kisses.
The half-day began with fourth period so that the nearly 3,300 students could first be with the people they were with during the shooting two weeks ago.
“In the beginning, everyone was super serious, but then everyone cheered up and it started being the same vibes we had before the shooting. People started laughing and joking around,” said Kyle Kashuv, a junior who said he hugged every single teacher.
Many students said they were eager to get back to class.
Bruna Oliveira, a 14-yearold freshman who saw her favorite teacher shot in the chest, has spent the past two weeks in counseling. But Wednesday morning she said she was eager to be among students who would understand what she had gone through.
“I’m excited. I want to see my friends and my teachers,” said Bruna, wearing a maroon Stoneman Douglas High T-shirt and matching sneakers.
WPBF-25 News showed students pausing to rub the furry heads of comfort dogs before entering the buildings.
CNN reported that law-enforcement officers from many nearby towns and jurisdictions went to the campus Wednesday morning to show support, as lines of cars full of teachers and staff members arrived, and then school buses full of students rolled in.
Additional armed guards will patrol the campus for the remainder of the school year.
The father of one of the victims spoke, addressing his message Wednesday morning to President Donald Trump, calling on him to take action to stop the threats being made against survivors who are calling for gun control. In an interview with CNN, Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old son was killed in the attack, spoke about students being threatened with violence in recent days and said he hopes law enforcement agencies are investigating those threats to prevent further trauma.
Law enforcement agencies have been criticized for not heeding warnings that the suspected gunman, former student Nikolas Cruz, was dangerous.
In the wake of the shooting, Trump called for a ban on bump stocks — devices that allow guns to fire like automatic weapons — and has discussed expanding background checks for firearm purchases. He has also proposed training and arming teachers, a suggestion that has been largely rejected by educators.
Students continue to demand that lawmakers change gun laws, and several traveled to Washington on Monday to speak to members of Congress. Students have pressured companies to end discount programs for National Rifle Association members.
Across the country, students who are accustomed to regular lockdown drills have staged walkouts calling for more gun control.
For many students, the past two weeks have been punctuated by vigils, marches, funerals for classmates and teachers, and trips to grief counseling. The last of the victims, Martin Duque, a soccer-loving freshman, was laid to rest Sunday, the same day students returned to campus for a brief orientation.
The building where the violence unfolded — Building 12 — is now ringed by a chain-link fence. Broward County Public Schools is seeking state funds to tear it down so that students never have to return to it.
Classes will run only halfdays for this week, and Principal Ty Thompson said in a tweet that the focus will be on “emotional readiness and comfort not curriculum.”
“Looking forward to tomorrow Eagles! Remember our focus is on emotional readiness and comfort not curriculum: so there is no need for backpacks. Come ready to start the healing process and [in all capital letters] #reclaimthenest.”
In each classroom, colored pencils, coloring books, stress balls and toys were available to help students cope.
“It’s not how you go down. It’s how you get back up,” said Casey Sherman, a 17-year-old junior. She said she was not afraid to return, “just nervous.”
Broward County school Superintendent Robert Runcie tweeted: “I pray that today is the beginning of our long and difficult journey from grief, sorrow and anger to a new consciousness of hope, compassion and love. Thank you to our young people for leading the way. Welcome Back!”
Information for this article was contributed by Moriah Balingit and Susan Svrluga of The Washington Post; and by Kelli Kennedy, Terry Spencer, Josh Replogle, Brendan Farrington, Curt Anderson and Robert Ray of The Associated Press.