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South Florida students head to Tallahassee for rally against gun violence

Posted at 6:53 AM, Feb 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-21 01:20:07-05

About 100 Stoneman Douglas High School students will head to Tallahassee on Tuesday, as they prepare to rally Wednesday in front of state lawmakers.

FULL COVERAGE: Parkland school shooting | Olympic Heights HS students walk out in protest

After losing 14 of their classmates and three of their staff members in last week's shooting, the students are determined to make a difference before the legislative session ends in three weeks.

The Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence and the League of Women Voters announced a rally to support gun safety reform at noon on Wednesday at the Capitol.

The students are expected to lead the charge for change.

The coalition said they will then deliver petitions with thousands of signatures calling for the ban of assault weapons and large-capacity magazines.

Meanwhile, Gov. Rick Scott will host a series of meetings and workshops Tuesday focused on improving school safety.

Scott will meet with leaders in the Florida Department of Education, Department of Children and Family Services and Florida Sheriff's Association.

These groups will consist of members of law enforcement, school administrators, teachers, mental health experts and state agency leadership. 

Scott will attend these workshops throughout the day and hold a roundtable to discuss their findings at the end of the day.

The governor's office said the education workshop will focus on school safety improvements and updating school security protocols and emergency plans.

The mental health and child welfare workshop will focus on ways to expand mental health services for Floridians, especially students, and improve coordination between state, local and private behavioral health partners.

The law enforcement workshop will focus on ensuring individuals struggling from mental illness do not have access to guns and potential safety improvements for firearm policies.

WPTV will have a crew traveling with the students and sharing their stories.