PARKLAND, FLA. (WSVN) - With the new school year around the corner, students and parents in Broward County are learning that some security measures previously discussed, like metal detectors, will not be implemented.
When school starts next week, new hardware in 34 portables will not allow classroom doors to be opened from the outside.
However, metal detectors that students and parents were counting on will not have been installed. Those who had hoped for them said they are upset that they won’t have this additional security at school.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students spent the summer relaxing, working and some participated in internships.
Stoneman Douglas senior Mei-ling Ho-Shing is one of those students who kept busy during the holiday.
She interned at Andrew Gillum’s office in Plantation as he runs for governor, but next week, she’ll be back at MSD.
“It’s still fresh to me because every single day, I identify as a MSD student and the trauma that I went through,” Ho-Shing said, “so there’s days where I’m still crying. There’s still times where I do suffer from PTSD.”
What makes matters worse for her is the broken promise of not having metal detectors on campus.
According to a letter sent out to students, the district will instead have a workshop to discuss the metal detectors on Aug. 14.
“They talked to the students, they talked to the parents at my school and most of us agreed that this was the right thing to do,” Ho-Shing said. “Our system has failed us in a way that we now have to make sure our schools are bulletproof.”
This comes as more information is revealed about Nikolas Cruz and his past.
An independent review commissioned by the Broward County School Board found that Cruz has been aggressive since he was young.
At 5 years old, it was determined he had animal-like aggressive behavior. He used to crawl and pounce on other children as well as bite, pinch, scratch and pull other children’s hair.
He eventually dropped that behavior, according to the report, but continued with the physical violence.
All of this was no surprise for Ho-Shing, who said she’s thought about what should happen to Cruz. “For him killing 17 people — 17 of my friends, 17 of my classmates and teachers — it’s not fair,” she said. “I feel that he should stay in prison, rot in prison, than be put into general population.”
The State Attorney’s Office has released the transcripts of the interrogation from the day of the shooting. On the transcript, which is 217 pages long, Cruz said in the interview that he was hearing voices.
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