By The demolition of the three-story classroom building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 people tragically lost their lives in the 2018 mass shooting, has begun. On Friday, a large excavator made the first hole in the room where geography teacher Scott Beigel perished while saving students.
The demolition process, which will take several weeks, started with the excavator breaking off concrete from the building, no longer needed as evidence in the shooter’s trial. Some victims’ family members gathered nearby to record the moment on their cellphones.
Scott Beigel’s mother, Linda Beigel Schulman, chose to stay home in New York. She had toured the building last year, seeing the comparative religion papers her son was grading when the shooting began, still on his desk. Beigel, who also coached cross-country, had herded students to safety in his classroom as the gunman approached, ultimately losing his life in the process.
Beigel Schulman expressed her conflicting emotions, saying, “It was Scott’s happy place. He loved teaching there. He loved the kids, he loved everything about the school there. He loved coaching. And then it is probably the saddest place that could ever be for me. He thrived there and he died there.”
Before the demolition began, victims’ families were invited to hammer off a piece of the building. Lori Alhadeff, whose 14-year-old daughter Alyssa died, found the experience cathartic, stating, “Hammering away at the building helped to release some of my pain.”
The demolition and cleanup are expected to be completed before the school’s 3,300 students return from summer vacation in August. The building had been locked behind a screened fence since the shooting, serving as evidence in the shooter’s 2022 penalty trial.
Over the past year, some victims’ relatives have led tours of the building for officials and invitees, demonstrating how improved safety measures could have saved lives. Max Schachter, whose 14-year-old son Alex died, believes these tours will help save lives as officials use what they learned to harden schools in their jurisdictions.
The demolition drew spectators, including former students and teachers, who expressed mixed feelings. Some hoped it would bring peace and comfort to the victims’ families, while others suggested replacing the building with a memorial or a useful space for future students.
The Broward County school board has not yet decided what will replace the building, but suggestions include a practice field for the band, Junior ROTC, and other groups, connected by a landscaped pathway to a nearby memorial.
As the demolition process unfolds, the Parkland community continues to heal and honor the memory of those lost in the tragic shooting. The hope is that the new space will serve as a place of happiness and positivity for future students while never forgetting the lives lost on that fateful day in 2018.
