Stoneman

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.

Traumatized Parkland underclassmen plead with Gov. Scott for break from standardized tests

WLRN 91.3 FM | By COLLEEN WRIGHT

Published May 3, 2018 at 1:07 PM EDT

After a gunman opened fire on campus, Jorge Zapata, 16, a sophomore, hugs his mother, Lavinia Zapata, outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Feb. 14, 2018.

To grant relief to a community still reeling from a school shooting that left 17 dead, Gov. Rick Scott signed a sweeping education bill exempting Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students, including graduating seniors, from taking standardized tests this spring.

But it didn't specifically give a waiver to about 1,500 underclassmen — half the student body — who are, sooner or later, on the hook for taking exams required for a high school diploma.

That's why Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie asked the governor Wednesday to exempt all Stoneman Douglas students from standardized tests — not just those the Legislature exempted. Runcie asked Scott to issue an executive order or direct the Department of Education to exempt those underclassmen who were also there during the Feb. 14 shooting.

Read more at our news partner, the Miami Herald.