PARKLAND, FLA. (WHDH) – Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have finished their first day back at school since the Feb. 14 shooting.
Students arrived Wednesday morning on a modified school schedule, which saw class ending just after 11:30 a.m.
A student said he was able to reconvene with his friends, which made the first day easier.
“We just talked to each other,” said a student. “If you communicate with your friends, you can just get better.”
But that student said he still has concerns about Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
“The classrooms we were in today were different,” he said. “I’m almost graduated, so I need my credits and stuff, and I think that’s it.”
Some students were nervous and unprepared but happy to see things beginning to get back to normal.
“I’m nervous, but I’m just happy to see everyone come together and support each other,” said a sophomore. “I just think we all need to get back into normalcy.”
Angie, a Stoneman Douglas student, added that she has felt the nationwide support for her and her classmates.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “It’s like, we’re still around. We’re still kicking. We’re still sending a message. Don’t forget about us because we can’t forget those who we lost.”
Outspoken student David Hogg also returned to class and said he feels “terrified, angry and mad at our elected officials, like Marco Rubio, Rick Scott and Donald Trump.”
Parents were also worried while returning their children to school.
“I’m so nervous because not a lot has changed,” said Tessa Thomas, a mother who dropped her son off for the first time in two weeks. “We can’t fix what happened, but we can definitely fix moving forward, so a change to give these children some form of security is needed.”
Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie told 7 News the school will have extra counselors on hand for the return of the students.
“Yeah, our students need to be with each other. They need to be in school,” he said. “Our teachers, they love our kids, and that’s gonna help everyone I think really move forward.”
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