On Friday, local leaders and community members held a private unveiling ceremony for a new building at Marjory Stoneman Doughlas High School that will replace the old one where 17 people were killed in the Parkland shooting.
Some of the victims’ families said they were upset about the new facility, lamenting that there was nothing in the building to honor their lost loved ones.
“It was infuriating,” said Max Schachter, whose son, Alex, was killed in the shooting.
“This building was built with money that the state gave Broward County Schools. They gave them $18 million to build this building because 17 beautiful people were murdered in the other building on campus. So I thought, maybe, there was some memory of them, some remembrance, and dedication and acknowledgement, but there wasn’t..”
Tony Montalto shared the same frustration. He lost his daughter, Gina, in the shooting. He told NBC 6 it was hurtful to see a plaque for the School Board members, but not for the victims.
“It’s there because they were taken from us, because they were murdered on that campus,” said Montalto. “Our families advocated for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, which is where the money for this school came from, so to not have our loved ones recognized in anyway, shape or form is truly painful."
The parents say there is a memorial planned for the location of the old building when it gets torn down, but that won't happen until after the trial.
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NBC 6 reached out to the Broward County School Board for comment and is still waiting to hear back.
