The Florida school where gunman Nikolas Cruz unleashed a massacre last week will remain closed to students until Monday, February 26.
Teachers are expected to return to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Thursday or Friday, superintendent Robert Runcie told CNN.
Runcie said teachers would return to the school first to give them, and possibly students, a day or two come together and get counseling if they wish to, according to CBS Miami.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where a gunman unleashed a massacre, killing 17, is closed on Monday for President’s Day and will not open until Thursday or Friday for teachers
Students will return to their school on Monday, according to superintendent Robert Runcie
But students and teachers will never again walk into the building where Cruz unleashed his bloodbath last Wednesday, Florida legislators said on Thursday.
They will help the school tear down building 12 and replace the site with a memorial to honor the victims and their families.
‘This building has to come down,’ said Republican Sen. Bill Galvano of Florida to the Miami Herald on Friday after visiting the school.
Principal Ty Thompson released an emotional video on Sunday, thanking people for their support, and vowing to be there for the victims and their families
Nikolas Cruz, 19, unleashed a massacre at the school, killing 14 students and three teachers
The school’s Principal Ty Thompson released an emotional video on Sunday, thanking people for their support, and vowing to be there for the victims and their families.
‘I promise you I will hug each and every one of you, as many times as you need, and I will hold you as long as you need me to, for all 3,300 of you, and your families, and we will get through this together,’ he said.
President Trump will meet with the school’s students and teachers on Wednesday to hold a listening session, according to a White House schedule. He will also meet with state and local officials to discuss school safety on Thursday.
The district is proposing a memorial on the site where building 12 stands now. The renovation is estimated to cost between $25million and $30million.
Officials are working on plans for the memorial and said they will reveal them to the public by the end of the weekend.
‘Parents and students have resoundingly told me they can’t go back into that building regardless of what we do,’ Runcie told the Sun Sentinel.
‘The other piece I heard is that that building will be used as evidence in any type of legal process that goes forward, so we won’t be able to access the building for a while anyway.’
The building was ‘for freshmen, predominantly,’ according to Lynn University Professor Joe Melita, former executive director of the school district’s Special Investigative Unit.
It held up to 900 students, and the school, and the district are over capacity, as the Parkland area is popular area for families with children.
PICTURED: Fourteen students, geography teacher, coach and athletic director shot dead in Florida high school massacre
Jaime Guttenberg, 14, (left) was described by relatives as a ‘kind-hearted, sweet’ girl. She attended the school with her younger brother who survived and rushed home afterwards. Senior Nicholas Dworet (right) was a gifted swimmer who had his sights set on 2020 Tokyo Olympics success. His devastated college student girlfriend is among those grieving his death. Friends said he was not just a talented athlete, but a ‘good guy’ who will be missed
Martin Duque, 14, (left) was missing for hours on Wednesday and his frantic family desperately appealed for him to get in touch on social media. On Thursday, his older brother Miguel confirmed his death. Martin was a freshman. Meadow Pollack, 18, (right) was preparing for college. Her father was at the school on Wednesday and showed her photograph around in the hope that she would be found alive
Cara Loughran (left) was missing on Wednesday afternoon. Her mother Denise and her father rushed to the designated hotel where parents were told to go to be reunited with their children in the hope that she would be found alive. Her grieving neighbor confirmed her death on Thursday. Alyssa Alhadeff, 15, (right) was eulogized by her mother who said she was a talented soccer player and creative mind. ‘All she had to offer the world was love… I just sent her to school and she was shot and killed,’ she said
Luke Hoyer, 15, (left) was described as a ‘precious’ child by his grandparents who confirmed his death. They found out about the shooting on television. They said he was a ‘good kid’ who ‘never got in trouble’. Joaquin Oliver, 17, (right) was also killed. Joaquin was a Venezuelan immigrant who came to the US with his family for a ‘better future’, they said on Thursday
Gina Montalto, 15, (left) was described as a ‘light and joy’. She and Jaime, another victim, volunteered at a local project called The Friendship Initiative where they acted as buddies for children with special needs. Gina’s mother Jennifer shared pleas to find her on social media on Wednesday. Alaina Petty, 14, (right) was also killed. Her Mormon church confirmed her death, saying she was a ‘valiant’ member
Carmen Schentrup, 16, (left) was also killed in the shooting. Carmen was a gifted student who last year was named as a semifinalist in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program. It includes students who score above average in their SATs or National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. ROTC student Peter Wang, 15, (right) also died. His parents speak little English and relied on their neighbor to post social media appeals looking for him. They went to the Marriott hotel with other parents to wait for news of him on Wednesday night and have since confirmed that he was among those killed
Alex Schachter, 14, (left) was also killed. His mother died when he was a child and he attended the school in Florida with his brother, who survived. The teenager’s father Max said he was a ‘sweetheart of a child’ who ‘just wanted to do well and please his parents’. Helena Ramsey, 17, (right) was described by relatives as a ‘reserved’ and studious girl who was due to go to college next year
Geography Scott Beigel, 35, (left) was shot dead as he tried to lock the door of his classroom again after letting a group of fleeing students in to hide. They were running away from the gunman. Aaron Feis, 37, (right) died acting as a human shield. The track coach had thrown himself on top of the kids to stop the bullets from hitting him. He was a former student and was also a security guard at the school where he had worked for eight years
Athletic director Chris Hixon, 49, was also killed shielding students