Demolition of Parkland classroom, where 17 people died in 2018 shooting, set to begin

PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) — A crew is expected to begin demolishing the three-story classroom building Friday where 17 people died during the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

Victims' families were invited to watch the first blows and hammer a piece themselves if they wish. Officials plan to complete the weeklong project before the school's 3,300 students return in August from summer vacation. Most were at the elementary school when the shooting happened.

The building had been preserved to serve as evidence during the shooter's trial in 2022. Jurors visited its bullet-riddled and blood-stained rooms, but spared him the death penalty. He is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Broward County is not alone in destroying a school building after a mass shooting. In Connecticut, Sandy Hook Elementary School was demolished after the 2012 shooting and replaced. In Texas, authorities closed Elemental Robb in Uvalde after the 2022 shooting and are considering demolishing it. from Colorado High Columbine saw its library demolished after the 1999 shooting.

Over the past year, relatives of some victims have led Vice President Kamala Harris, members of Congress, school officials, police officers and about 500 other guests who came from across the country to tour the building. They mainly demonstrated how improved security measures such as bulletproof glass in door windows, a better alarm system and doors that lock from the inside could have saved lives.

Those who have taken the tour have called it heartbreaking and a sort of time capsule of February 14, 2018. Manuals and laptops were open on the desks, and wilted Valentine's Day flowers, deflated balloons, and discarded teddy bears were scattered among the broken glass. These objects have now been deleted.

The Broward County School Board has not decided what the building will be replaced with. Teachers suggested a practice field for the band, Junior ROTC and other groups, connected by a landscaped path to a nearby memorial erected a few years ago. Several of the students killed were members of the band or Junior ROTC.

Some parents want the site to be transformed into a memorial.