Recovering from the heartbreak and trauma of a school shooting is a marathon, not a sprint.
Those sage words come from Frank DeAngelis, who was principal of Columbine when 12 students and a teacher died in a mass shooting at the Colorado high school in 1999.
“People say time will heal all wounds — but the scars we have will be with us for a lifetime,” DeAngelis said Monday. “And certain things will trigger that pain.”
But those in pain need to know there’s support out there to help them cope, he said.
“You’re never in this journey alone,” he said. “You have to reach out and get help. You just have to find it.”
This past week, two Parkland shooting survivors were found dead six days apart in apparent suicides.
School officials in Broward County swung into gear this weekend to reach out to students who may be in crisis.
“During the spring break, I encourage you to take time to speak with your children every day,” Superintendent Robert Runcie said in a recorded phone call that went to parents throughout the district Monday. “Dinners are a great time for family conversation. We need to remove the stigma from talking about suicide.”
Sydney Aiello, a senior last year at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, died from suicide March 17. She was 19.
The second student, a 17-year-old sophomore, died Saturday night. The South Florida Sun Sentinel is withholding his name out of consideration for the minor’s family.
On Monday, school officials began reaching out to students who might need help after the Parkland shooting by contacting their parents, district spokeswoman Kathy Koch said.
“Broward parents and community partners are forming an action plan to help students cope with depression and trauma,” Koch said. “We sent this information to all of our families today through a ParentLink, which includes a recorded call from the Superintendent.”
District officials are encouraging parents to talk with their children and recognize warning signs by using questions from The Columbia Protocol. The questions can be found online at cssrs.columbia.edu.
Broward has anywhere from two to five teen suicides a year, though the number rose to 15 in 2016, state records show.
Coral Springs, home to nearly half of the students who attend Stoneman Douglas, plans to host an anti-suicide prevention forum at City Hall at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
“The tragedy of Marjory Stoneman Douglas didn’t end on the 14th,” city spokeswoman Lynne Martzall said. “We’ve had two apparent suicides in the span of one week. So we’re going to host this meeting.”