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The grief and mourning continue for the 17 students and staff killed on the afternoon of Feb. 14 during a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. But something else is happening among the anguish of the interrupted lives of the victims and survivors. Out of the agony, activism has emerged and students from across South Florida are speaking out together asking for stricter gun controls. Here's a list of grief counseling resources available for the community.

Bipartisan EAGLES Act Would Increase School Safety Following Parkland Shooting

Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission
Caitie Switalski
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WLRN
U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch spoke about the EAGLES Act with families of Parkland shooting victims in Sunrise, Wednesday.

Some members of Congress have plans to implement federal security recommendations that have come after the 2018 Parkland school shooting. 

U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, a Broward-Palm Beach Democrat, came to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission meeting in Sunrise on Wednesday with families of the Parkland shooting victims. 

They took to a podium to talk about what Congress can do to increase school safety nationwide.

Deutch and U.S. Rep Mario Diaz-Balart, a Miami Republican, introduced a bill last month called the EAGLES Act. The senate version was partly introduced by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida.

 

Deutch said the bill would increase funding for the U.S. Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center, which was founded in 2008. The center conducts community trainings on violence prevention.  

"What we're trying to do is to specifically add schools to their purview, and to provide additional resources so that they can send even more people out across the country," Deutch said.  

He said the goal for the legislation is to get it passed in both the U.S. House and Senate by February.

Read More: MSD Commission: 29 Schools In Broward County Don't Have Long-term Plans For Safe School Officers

Deutch is also co-sponsoring the School Violence Prevention and Mitigation Act of 2019. It includes requiring schools to install special alarms.

Lori Alhadeff has been leading the effort. Her daughter, Alyssa, was killed in the Parkland school shooting. 

"Alongside the fire extinguisher, AED, and Stop-The-Bleed Kit, there must be a panic button, with a direct communication link to law enforcement," Alhadeff said. 

The state of New Jersey signed Alyssa's Law in February.

Caitie Muñoz, formerly Switalski, leads the WLRN Newsroom as Director of Daily News & Original Live Programming. Previously she reported on news and stories concerning quality of life in Broward County and its municipalities for WLRN News.
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