Language arts teacher Melissa Falkowski is being hailed a hero this morning for hiding 19 students in a closet during the Florida school massacre at Marjory Stonemason Douglas High School in Parkland on Feb 14. Several of the students are now emotionally speaking out to thank their teacher for keeping them safe and calm during the tragedy.
“Melissa Falkowski is an amazing educator who deserves praise for what she did. I had multiple panic attacks while locked in the closet with 19 other people for numerous hours,” Emma Dowd told Love What Matters. “She reiterated many times that I would be safe and she won’t let anything happen to me. I spend a lot of time with Falkowski as she advises the newspaper, which I’m one editor-in-chief of. She constantly checked up on me and kept me calm even when there were nearly 160 of us in the library after all the classes got searched. I’m eternally grateful for strong and caring educators like her. She not only cared for me, but also the 160 kids in the classroom with us along with her other faculty.”
BREAKING: Hero coach steps in front of bullets to shield students
https://twitter.com/emmaedowd/status/963959546707406849
this was my teacher. i was in that closet. having to feel that fear and see all those people think they’re going to die is something no person should experience. https://t.co/4ysyB6HHHO
— Delaney Tarr (@delaneytarr) February 15, 2018
https://twitter.com/bettercallrahl/status/963963221244825600
.@savannahguthrie and @hodakotb speak to Florida teacher Melissa Falkowski, who hid with 19 students in a closet during the shooting. All of them made it out safely. pic.twitter.com/xBtmlRoce6
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 15, 2018
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