Florida school set to reopen in phases after deadly shooting

The Florida school where a gunman last week opened fire, killing 17 students and teachers, is set to reopen in phases starting on Friday, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School said in a statement.

When school opens on Friday at 8 a.m., the entire day will be dedicated to attending to staff members’ needs. There will be support services available. On Sunday, there will be a voluntary campus orientation for students and parents.

The district said it hopes for classes to resume on Tuesday. The classes will be on a modified schedule.

The suspect shooting appeared in court Monday for a procedural hearing about how legal paperwork would be handled in the case.

Nikolas Cruz, 19, said nothing when he made his first in-person appearance in Broward County Circuit Court. A previous appearance had been by a video connection from jail.

Cruz, wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, kept his head down and did not appear to make eye contact with the judge or others in the courtroom, though the slightly built teen responded briefly to someone on the defense team.

It was a tense atmosphere — Cruz was surrounded by Broward Sheriff’s deputies as news media members and lawyers watched from the gallery.

The hearing concerned rules that will govern how documents are sealed. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer said she was in favor of openness whenever possible.

Students from Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School where 17 of their fellow classmates lost their lives announce plans for a national gun control march in Washington; Steve Harrigan reports from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Cruz is charged with killing 17 people and wounding many others in Wednesday’s attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which he once attended. Police say Cruz admitted last week to the mass shooting.

His lawyers have said he will plead guilty if prosecutors agree not to pursue the death penalty. No decision has been made on that.