“On Friday February 23rd 2018 I am going to shoot up the school.”

          This was the note left on the stall of a boys’ bathrooms at Coral Gables Senior High School (CGHS), less than one week after the deadly shooting in Parkland, Florida that killed 17.

           CGHS wasn’t alone. According to the Miami Herald, the county’s threats skyrocketed from one a week to 50 a day.

          “It really breaks your habitual routine and way of thinking and processing things,” said Junior Dominique Babin, 17.

           Since the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, there has been significant student-led action for gun control. A month after the shooting and after the threat at CGHS, which was determined to be not credible, significant changes have been made at the school and in the state of Florida.

 “Of course I knew that with the threat came a real possibility of something happening, but my instincts told me that whoever posted it was just being brutally insensitive and cruel,” said Senior Gaby Vazquez, 17.

            News about the threat quickly spread across the school and through social media. Many students felt uninformed about the situation, and others felt that the lack of an immediate administrative response contributed to the panic.

            “We were in the dark about the whole thing and had to learn about it through word of mouth,” said Vazquez. “As students we have a right to know what’s happening… and I think we were let down.”

          An email and phone message were sent to parents, stating that there was no credible threat, but no specifics were included.The principal did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

            Security measures the first week were minimal according to some students. Security guards were moved to different locations and teachers began to lock classroom doors. A month later, students acknowledge that better security measures have been implemented, but they question their effectiveness.

          The parking lots are more secure, visitors must wear passes, students must wear their school ID at all times and uniform is strictly enforced. Vazquez noted, however, that the Parkland Shooter walked into the school wearing a JROTC uniform.

          Other students have raised concerns about the size of the CGHS campus. The school is 26 acres with more than 3,000 students, and there are about six security guards according to 17-year-old Janelle Lora. Some think the policies have already started fading or will soon fade.

          On March 9, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed a gun control bill. The bill changed the legal age of firearm purchase from 18 to 21, banned bump stocks, appropriated $69 million for mental health assistance, and set up $98 million for stricter school security. Controversially, the bill also supports the arming of some trained teachers and many students are angry that the bill does not ban assault rifles.

          Although significant changes have been made, both in CGHS specifically and in the State of Florida, many students are still unconvinced about the progress, while others seemed satisfied with the security measures. Vazquez welcomes the gun control discussion.

          “It’s unfortunate that it had to take so much devastation to bring the discussion to the level it’s come to…More than anything though it’s educational and a good thing and I really hope it brings some real change - it’s so needed,” said Vazquez.