Saturday, March 23, police in Coral Springs, Florida were responding to word of a suicide. News broke, and it was confirmed that yet another Parkland School Shooting survivor from Majory Stoneman Douglas High School has taken his own life. The week before this suicide occurred, student, Sydney Aiello age 19 also took her own life. Aiello was also a survivor of the mass shooting. Although the name and details of how the student that took his own life, have not been confirmed, it was confirmed that the student was enrolled and survived the mass shooting that killed 17 people the previous year on February 14.

The two suicides within a span of a week have led to many questions regarding the connection between the suicides and the shooting. I asked Gisselle Zaragoza a junior here on campus if she believed there is a connection between the shooting and suicides, as well as if the school she be held responsible and any thoughts she had about the reoccurring shootings across America. She responded,” I do think the reason that they decided to take their life was because of the school shooting and may have to do with not feeling safe at school. I don’t think the school is totally responsible for the deaths of these students because I know that they try their best to keep students safe, although i am not too educated on the shooting so i am not familiar with the exact precautions the school considered. These incidents could be prevented by a restriction on gun laws and the security within a school. When the uprising of school shootings began I started to feel very unsafe at school and it distracted me a lot when I was in class. I hated going to school and would always ask my parents to stay home because I didn’t feel safe. It made me worry all the time and gave me an anxious feeling. It surprised me when a teacher of mine was alarmed that it effected me this much, I told him of all the thoughts that i had and how I didn’t want to come to school and he did not expect students to be impacted by these events.”

Not only at Majory Douglass High School in Parkland Florida has there been school shootings, but around the nation. Here at ERHS we need to follow the precautions that we have been instructed to in case on an emergency. If you are feeling unsafe, or unhappy with your life, talk to your counselor or someone you trust on campus. If not, you can call this suicide hotline for help: 1-800-2713-8255. Remember Mustangs, suicide is not the answer.