Schools
Florida School Shooting Sparks Anxiety On LA Campuses
Fresh off the heels of a shooting at an LA middle school, LAUSD officials sought to reassure students upset by Florida's mass shooting today
LOS ANGELES, CA — Los Angeles Unified School District leaders sought to reassure parents and students Wednesday about the safety of Southland campuses in response to a mass shooting at a Florida high school that has resulted in multiple deaths.
The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, near Miami erupted around 2:30 p.m. Eastern time. The suspected shooter, believed to be a former student, was taken into custody within about 90 minutes. Officials said there were multiple casualties, with early reports indicating as many as 14 people had died.
LAUSD Board of Education President Monica Garcia and Interim Superintendent Vivian Ekchian issued a joint statement expressing shock at the violence, but also seeking to comfort parents of Los Angeles students.
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"We also want to assure all parents, students and staff that safety remains the top priority of L.A. Unified," they said. "We continue to work with the Los Angeles School Police Department, along with public safety and mental health agencies, to ensure planning preparation and response to incidents that may affect safety.
"In addition, we encourage everyone in our district to remain vigilant in working together to keep our schools safe. If you see something, say something."
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Garcia and Ekchian also acknowledged the shooting -- determined by police to be accidental -- that occurred Feb. 1 at Sal Castro Middle School and wounded two students. A 12-year-old girl was arrested and charged with bringing a gun to the campus. Police said the gun discharged while it was inside the girl's backpack. The bullet struck one girl in a wrist then hit a boy in the head.
"Having recently been through a shooting incident in L.A. Unified, we understand the anxiety of uncertainty and the horror of the violence affecting our children, families and school communities," according to Garcia and Ekchian.
City News Service; Photo: Parents wait for news after a reports of a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Joel Auerbach)
