PARKLAND, Fla. - In the span of one week, two teenagers have died by suicide in Parkland, the community still grieving the loss of 17 teachers and students last year in a deadly mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The mother of a recent graduate told CBS Miami last week that her daughter had taken her own life. Sydney Aiello, 19, was a senior at the school during the massacre. One of her friends, Meadow Pollack, was killed. In the year since the shooting, Aiello had struggled with survivor's guilt and had recently been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, her mother said. During the weekend, word began to spread that another Parkland teenager had also died in what authorities called an "apparent suicide." The student's name and age were not released, and authorities said the death was under investigation. The circumstances surrounding the second student's death are unclear, and mental health advocates cautioned against jumping to conclusions. But in the South Florida community, student and parent activists quickly linked the two deaths - placing them in the context of the 17 other lives lost at Marjory Stoneman Douglas last year. "17 + 2," tweeted Ryan Petty, who is the father of Alaina Petty, a student killed in the shooting, and the founder of The Walkup Foundation, a school safety organization. Hillary Clinton tweeted Sunday that "nothing is worth the tremendous costs our young people bear because of our inaction on guns." David Hogg, one of the student activists who rose to prominence in the wake of the Parkland shooting, called for officials to do more to prevent such deaths. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Parent Teacher Association tweeted a flier with the contact information of trauma counselors on Sunday, which was retweeted by an account for the school's principal. News of the second student's death came on the first anniversary of March for Our Lives, the massive student-led demonstration against gun violence that was held in several U.S. cities last March. The protest was led by student activists from Parkland, including senior Aalayah Eastmond, who spoke at the Washington march. "This day is so heavy," Eastmond, 18, said Sunday afternoon while visiting a memorial garden called Grow Love outside the gates of her school. "It's the anniversary of the march, and then this sad news. It's all a lot." Eastmond travels the country, speaking to community groups about school violence. There aren't enough resources for students across the country, she said, but there's also a shortfall in her own school. Eastmond said she sees a school therapist who has helped her, but she said there's only a handful available. "This school of all places should have the resources. We're known nationwide because of the shooting," she said. "If we can't get it right here, where can we get it right?" Elected officials, school personnel and members of various county organizations met Sunday afternoon to discuss how to improve the availability of counseling services and raise awareness about mental health, Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky said in an interview. The first priority would be "communicating to parents the need to talk to their children, and students to talk to each other," about mental health and suicide prevention, she said. "I think we need to talk about it, I think we need to be educated more about it," she said. "Everybody deals with tragedy and trauma in their own trauma and their own way. Some people are doing better than others, and some are still struggling severely." Parents and students would be provided with copies of the Columbia Protocol, the mayor said, which friends, family and loved ones can use to determine if a person is at risk of suicide. The group also decided to move up the opening of Eagles' Haven, a wellness and support center that would be available to members of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas community seven days a week. A "resilience center" has also been set up by Broward County schools; it provides crisis and grief counseling, as well as support groups, for those who still grapple with trauma from the shooting. But some at the school believed that the current resources provided to students were insufficient. "The kids need help, and many of them that do need help are not getting any," history teacher Greg Pittman, who taught Aiello, told the Miami Herald. "They want to talk to people that were there." He added that "many of them think that they don't need help, that only their friends who were there understand. More resources probably would help, but also the resources that knew them (are) leaving." To reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255). You can also text a crisis counselor by messaging 741741. - - -<doc-sep>A second student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School—the site of the February 14, 2018, shooting that left 17 people dead—has died in an apparent suicide, the Coral Springs Police Department confirmed on Sunday. The death came just days after recent graduate and shooting survivor Sydney Aiello took her own life amid struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder. Police said Sunday they are still investigating the circumstances of the second death. The victim is believed to have been a male juvenile, according to the Miami Herald. Students and parents connected to the school expressed shock and sadness on social media. Former student Jaclyn Corin, who became an outspoken activist for gun control in the wake of the massacre, wrote on Twitter that "trauma doesn't disappear." Other students echoed her concerns about the lingering psychological effects of the brutal killings. Trauma doesn’t disappear. — Jaclyn Corin (@JaclynCorin) March 24, 2019 "When it comes down to it our trauma was quickly swept aside because they wanted everything to return to normal," wrote former student Lex Michael. "We literally went back a week after it happened." When it comes down to it our trauma was quickly swept aside because they wanted everything to return to normal, we literally went back a week after it happened — lex (@witchyactivist) March 24, 2019 Stoneman Douglas alum David Hogg, one of the most prominent and outspoken survivors of that tragic day, asked on Twitter, "How many more kids have to be taken from us as a result of suicide for the government / school district to do anything?" Hogg added "Rip 17+2," connecting these recent suicide victims to the total number of those killed in the shooting. Hogg also criticized those who have tried to minimize the potentially devastating long-term effects of the traumatic event, which wasn't just relegated to the shooting. Students who fought publicly for gun control faced online harassment and threats, and conspiracy theorists continue to target them. "Stop saying 'you'll get over it,'" he wrote. "You don't get over something that never should have happened because those that die from gun violence are stolen from us not naturally lost. Trauma and loss don't just go away, you have to learn to live with it through getting support." Just last week, the death of Aiello renewed concern over the mental health services available to survivors. Aiello's mother told CBS News that her daughter was scared to be in a classroom and suffered from survivor's guilt. In a statement, her family said the death was part of a "ripple effect." "The death of Sydney Aiello is tragic, shocking and heartbreaking, and surely at least in significant part the result of the ripple effect of the MSD shooting," the statement said. After the shooting, the Children Services Council in Broward County opened Eagle's Haven, a support center offering free services to victims, survivors and their families. But navigating mental health resources still proved difficult, some students said. "This is the aftermath of a massacre. Mental health care treatment in schools is atrociously underfunded & under-resourced, even in Parkland," tweeted Ryan Deitsch, who graduated from the school in 2018. "Now is beyond the time to invest in the well being of our students & our future." According to the Miami Herald, grief counselors in the area mobilized on Sunday to provide additional support. Widespread absences aren't uncommon at the school and students regularly report to trauma counselors "in tears" after fire alarms or other jarring incidences, the newspaper reported. This weekend, Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky wrote a small item on suicide risk and teens for the Sun Sentinel in response to the death of Aiello. "Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 10-24 in the United States," wrote the mayor. "The teenage suicide rate increased by 70% between 2006 and 2016. People who have experienced trauma are at a greater risk for suicide. Trauma, mass trauma and suicide do not discriminate. Conversations around mental health must change. Know the signs, pay attention, check in with your family and friends and ask for help." This is a developing story. Check back for updates. If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours every day. If someone you know appears to be contemplating suicide, visit Bethe1To.com for assistance.<doc-sep>A high school student who survived the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Fla., died Saturday in an apparent suicide a week after another survivor killed herself, police said. Police received a call about a deceased person at a home Saturday night and arrived at the scene to find a juvenile who died in an apparent suicide, a Coral Springs Police spokesman told Fox News on Sunday. The official cause of death has not been released pending the medical examiner’s autopsy. STUDENT WHO SURVIVED PARKLAND SCHOOL SHOOTING DIES IN SUICIDE: REPORT Police confirmed the juvenile was a current Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student, but did not release further details. Authorities were investigating the incident. Sources told the Miami Herald, who first reported the story, that the juvenile was a male student who was a sophomore. News of the death comes a week after Sydney Aiello, who recently graduated from the high school, took her own life. Her mother, Cara Aiello, told CBS Miami that Sydney was recently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and struggled with "survivor’s guilt" after 17 of her classmates and staff members were gunned down on Feb. 14, 2018. She added her daughter was afraid of being in a classroom and struggled to attend classes in college. ONE YEAR LATER, PARKLAND FAMILIES STILL TRYING TO HEAL: ‘I HAVE TO FIGHT TO GET THROUGH THE DAY’ Sydney was sad but never asked for help before she killed herself, Aiello said. Sydney was also a close friend to Meadow Pollack, one of the 17 people killed in the school shooting. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Ryan Petty, the father of slain student Alaina Petty, told the Miami Herald the student who died Saturday night was killed by a gunshot wound to the head. “The issue of suicide needs to be talked about," Petty said. "This is another tragic example." David Hogg, a former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student turned activist, tweeted about the students' deaths on Sunday. “How many more kids have to be taken from us as a result of suicide for the government / school district to do anything? Rip 17 + 2,” Hogg wrote on Twitter. If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.<doc-sep>
The 14 students and three staff members gunned down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last year were not the last victims of the tragedy. That became evident this weekend after a student at the Parkland, Florida school died by “apparent suicide,” multiple sources reported. The news comes one week after 19-year-old Sydney Aiello, a former Parkland student who also attended the school during the 2018 massacre, reportedly died by suicide as well. Members of the Parkland community expressed grief on social media. Some shared suicide prevention and mental health resources. Former Parkland student and activist David Hogg, who has become an advocate for gun reform, added two to the death toll from the 2018 shooting, in a display of solidarity with the victims. “How many more kids have to be taken from us as a result of suicide for the government / school district to do anything?,” Hogg wrote. “Rip 17+2” Aiello, who died last week, was reportedly diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and suffered from “survivor’s guilt” after a close friend was killed at the high school, according to her mother. The second Parkland student, who died by apparent suicide on Saturday (March 23) evening, was also enrolled at the school during the 2018 shooting, Clyde Parry, chief of the Coral Springs Police Department, confirmed in an email to Quartz. Police have not publicly identified the victim, reportedly a sophomore at the high school. The tragedy at Parkland on February 14, 2018, was among the deadliest shootings in history at a US high school. On Sunday (March 24), organizers also commemorated the one-year anniversary of the student-led March for Lives movement that was held in response to the shooting at the high school. Suicides have followed other mass shootings, like the massacre at Columbine High School in 1999. But it is not known whether there is a direct link between mass shootings and suicides. Suicide rates, while consistently lower among younger people than middle-aged and older adults, have been rising in the US among people ages 15-24 in recent years. “The tragedy that took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is something that we as a community will struggle with for years to come,” said Lynne Martzall, media relations coordinator for the City of Coral Springs, in a statement. “Sadly, in a one-week span, two students who were enrolled at MSD during the tragedy lost their lives to an apparent suicide. We are working with community leaders and mental health professionals to address this serious life-safety issue and encourage all parents to speak to their children about this important topic.” The US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is (800) 273-8255. If you need them, call them. They’ll help. This post was updated with additional information from the city about the second victim.