Parents of Parkland students are advocating for reforms to improve school safety as they encourage others to remember the students and staff killed.
Saturday marks eight years since a gunman killed 17 students and staff, and injured 17 others, at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
“We want people to remember the victims of the Parkland tragedy. It was a tragedy because of who we lost, the children with bright futures, the teachers and staff members who were coaches and gave of themselves,” said Tony Montalto.
His daughter, Gina Rose Montalto, was among the students killed that day.
“I can't believe it's been eight years since Gina was taken from our family. Every day we miss her bright and bubbly personality. We know the world is a poorer place for not having someone who exhibited that kindness and caring that our daughter put out in the world,” Montalto said.
He and Tom Hoyer, the father of Luke Hoyer, who was also murdered in the shooting, were back in Washington, D.C. days before the eight-year mark. It adds to numerous trips they have made across administrations to push lawmakers and White House officials for changes to improve school safety, touting bipartisan efforts.
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The parents in particular outlined legislation including the MSD Act, Eagles Act and Single Application for School Safety Act, alongside Congressmen Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). The legislation would direct development of emergency response procedures, improve door reinforcements and streamline grant application requests for school safety, the lawmakers described.
“These are smart fixes, they are technological fixes,” Moskowitz said during a press conference alongside the parents.
“Shame on any member of congress that doesn’t heed that call to listen to parents like this and take steps that should not be hard,” Fitzpatrick said.
Tom Hoyer called for a focus on mental health, noting funding provided through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act passed under the Biden administration.
"That funding is set to expire next year but the need won’t expire. The gap between need and available resources is ongoing and we need to continue bridging that gap with funding mental health counselors in schools,” Hoyer said.
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Montalto said they also met with officials in the Trump administration, where they highlighted some of the bills.
“Chief among them is the Eagles Act, which would allow the US National Threat Assessment Center to continue their research into preventing school violence. It would also provide dollars so that the team from the national threat assessment center could go out into communities across the nation and teach them how to bring together school professionals, mental health professionals and law enforcement to perform a proper behavioral threat assessment,” he said.
Meanwhile, as Montalto continues to push for changes, he remembered Gina.
“She was often the first one to walk up to somebody and introduce herself when they moved into town,” he said, recalling when someone told him how Gina welcomed her to the Parkland community when they moved there. “Stories like that, that are unsolicited about the great things our daughter did, make us realize that she put out there in the world all the greatness and all the kindness that we knew she possessed.”
