Wrecking of the location where the Parkland school tragedy unfolded to kick off today.
The demolition of the school building is set to start on Friday, as announced by the Broward County Public Schools district. This process is estimated to take several weeks to finish. According to the district's May statement, the demolition would happen during the summer of 2024, after the end of the school year, which was on Monday.
The initial plan was to begin the demolition on Thursday, but it was postponed due to heavy rainfall in South Florida. The district confirmed on Thursday afternoon that the demolition would commence on Friday morning, regardless of the weather conditions.
The tragic event happened on Valentine's Day in 2018, resulting in the deaths of 17 individuals, including 14 students and three faculty members. The shooter was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Initially, the school building was kept intact pending the trials of the gunman and Parkland school resource officer Scot Peterson, who stayed outside during the massacre. Once the officer was acquitted on all charges, the decision to demolish the building was made.
In a statement, the Broward County Public Schools district explained that the demolition decision was made in consultation with health and safety experts and with the consideration of student and staff well-being. The district stresses the importance of prioritizing safety and is committed to following state and the Environmental Protection Agency's regulations regarding landfill disposal. They will provide updates as more information becomes available.
Students initially returned to the campus just two weeks after the shooting. However, Building 1200, where most victims were killed, was cordoned off with emergency tape and its windows covered. A new building later replaced the temporary classrooms used by students after the tragedy.
In 2023, survivors and family members of the victims were given private tours of the 1200 building. They described the sad and disturbing scenes, including blood stains, bullet holes, and Valentine's Day candy still on students' desks.
Many schools that have experienced mass shootings choose to demolish the sites of these incidents to mitigate the extraordinary trauma felt by survivors, victims' families, and the rest of the community. For instance, four years after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that resulted in the deaths of 26 people, a new school reopened for students, including some who were kindergarteners during the tragedy.
Columbine High School also destroyed its school library, where most of the violence took place during the 1999 shooting that claimed 13 lives, and replaced it with a newly built library named the Hope Library.
In Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were killed at Robb Elementary School in 2022, city officials have said they plan to destroy the building as well.
"In many cases, these schools are closed or entirely renovated in an attempt to decrease the traumatic reminders that they have become for community members," according to the Center for Violence Prevention at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
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The Broward County Public Schools district shared that the well-being of students and staff was considered when making the decision to demolish the school building, and they will work to follow regulations during the process. After the officer involved in the Parkland school tragedy was acquitted, it was decided that the school where the tragedy occurred would be demolished, which includes Building 1200 where most victims were killed. [US] students and community members have often chosen to demolish such locations to lessen the trauma associated with the incidents.
