Families: We must have safe schools
A wave of heartbreak united the parents who stood before Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Monday.
Their children died in the Feb. 14 mass shooting, and their goal now is persuading Florida legislators to pass laws that improve safety in schools.
“Our message is simple: We must be the last families to lose loved ones to mass murder in a school,” said Ryan Petty, whose 14-year-old daughter, Alaina Petty, was killed in the shooting. “This time must be different and we demand action.”
It was the first time the families organized their own
news conference to publicly call for more safety in schools. They huddled together and chanted “MSD Strong” before speaking in front of TV news cameras. Some carried pictures of the students and adults killed.
Petty, who wore a nametag that read “Alaina’s dad,” said they will be supporting the planned reforms recently put forward by Gov. Rick Scott. The proposals include gun restraining orders, raising the minimum age to buy a gun and stepping up security in schools.
Florida lawmakers are in Tallahassee working on a package of new measures, including proposals similar to Scott’s. Lawmakers also are working on a more controversial bill to allow some school staff to carry guns in schools.
The victims’ families want legislators to enhance the security of schools, keep guns away from those who pose a risk to themselves or others, and improve access to mental health resources for at-risk youth, Petty said.
“We believe Gov. Scott’s proposals demonstrate good movement towards the goal of preventing future acts of school violence,” he said.
Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter, Jaime, died in the shooting, said he himself doesn’t support giving guns to teachers. But he said all of the victims’ families are unified in their support of Scott’s plan.
“We accept the fact that it is right now the minimally acceptable effort that you can get passed in Florida,” Guttenberg said. “That’s just right now the way it is.”
There were 17 families that had a tragic loss, and “we all grieve in our own way,” Guttenberg said. “But I can tell you, we all standing here today ... we want to see common sense reforms that are in front of the Legislature passed.”
Jaime was one of Guttenberg’s two children. “This child was my life,” he said. “Every day feels like a broken day in my house now because she is no longer with us.”
Max Schachter is the father of 14-year-old Alex Schachter, who died in the shooting. He criticized the response of the FBI, the Broward Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies.
“They all failed me, they failed my son,” Schachter said. “So I could not wait for them to take action.”
Schachter decided to spearhead the newly formed Marjory Stoneman Douglas School Safety Commission, a group of families, law enforcement and school safety experts. The commission had its first meeting Monday morning with the goal of formulating guidelines for school safety.
“Out of this meeting we are going to produce these guidelines and produce it so all schools can be safe and this never happens again,” Schachter said.
Ilan and Lori Alhadeff are the parents of 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff.
“Our daughter was our life. Part of us died that day,” Ilan Alhadeff said. “My daughter was shot in the heart, in the spine, in the femur and the femoral artery. If she lived, she would have been paralyzed for life.”
Lori Alhadeff listed several ways to safeguard schools, including boosting funding for security. “No kid should have to say to their mother, ‘Mommy, am I going to die today if I go to school?’ ” she said.
Petty said the families want the reforms approved during this year’s legislative session. They called on members of the public to contact their state representatives to urge them to pass the legislation, he said.
“We come from different backgrounds and hold a variety of viewpoints, yet we are united on this,” Petty said. “No family should endure what we have endured.”