Marjory Stoneman Douglas Teachers Spend Final Day Preparing For Student's First Day Since Mass Shooting

With less than a day to go until students return to the site of the Parkland school tragedy, teachers and staff inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School spent the final hours Tuesday preparing for what should be an emotional day for everyone.

Some staff members began returning last Friday to the school where 17 people were shot and killed Feb. 14, but were required to be in the school starting Monday in advance of three modified days of student attendance starting Wednesday.

Teachers and staff say they’re leaning on each other for support and say seeing colleagues and therapy dogs help – as well as seeing parents during Sunday’s orientation.

When the kids come back to their school, past all the memorials, into their classrooms, teachers say they’ll be doing more counseling than teaching.

“I need you to heal, I need you to come back,” teacher Eric Garner said. “Eventually, the teaching and learning will happen, but right now we need this.”

Students will return for classes starting at 7:40 in the morning and ending at 11:40 am. Support services will continue to be available for teachers and students before Wednesday’s return.

Teachers and students will not be returning to the building where the mass shooting took place. Officials from the school and Broward County are working to have that building torn down and possibly replaced with a permanent memorial.

Alyssa Fletcher, a junior at Stoneman Douglas, said she feels like she's "ready to get back to a normal routine."

"To see my friends, teachers – just ease back into normalcy," she said. "The hardest part for me will be seeing the emotions of everyone else. I was in the auditorium during the tragedy when it was all happening."

Fletcher knew some of the victims, including cross country coach Scott Beigel, who died saving lives.