Columbine High School Research Paper

Columbine High was a very tragic incident that spread around the country and had rumors that multiplied and spread like wildfire. It terrified people everywhere causing many things to change in schools, teachers, and in students. Schools learned from this attack that anything could happen when you least expect it and that they needed to prepare for the worst if it ever came.

Security was one of the major increases in school. Almost all schools have gotten security cameras and run them constantly. In Columbine they did have security cameras but during the time when Dylan and Eric put the bombs in the school someone was changing or cleaning it leaving out the entire scene.

Another security increase was no bags in classrooms. This was because people were trying to prevent anyone from bringing guns into the classroom, and a backpack could hide anything. Dylan and Eric hid bombs in a duffle bag.

Schools have also tried to increase security by keeping better tabs on all students with getting rid of off campus lunches.

If students can leave the building at any time during their lunch period the school doesn’t know what they’re doing. They could be going out and grabbing guns or bombs from their cars like Eric and Dylan did. The schools also can’t do a thorough evacuation if they don’t know if students are still inside or just out grabbing lunch. There is no way to track students if they can go off campus for lunch and schools realized this after Columbine. Many schools even today don’t have off campus lunches.

Another thing that Columbine caused was increased awareness by teachers. Teachers are better informed about what to look out for in a kid and how to handle a serious threat. Teachers are more sensitive to disturbing pieces of art or papers written by a student are required to report suspicious things if they see or hear about anything that seems serious. Teachers attitudes have changed since Columbine and has help with many other things including Columbine

copycats.
After a crime as big as Columbine there were bound to be copycats. There have been over 70 known copycat cases and approximately 20 of them actually made an attack. The others were thwarted before they could be carried out. About 10 of these idolized Eric and Dylan calling them martyrs, heroes, and Gods. Columbine showed these students a new way of killing. A terrorist mind set without the goal of bringing down a certain group of people but just to kill and terrorize.
Schools, students and teachers changed in many ways after this attack. Some of them helped protect schools and some just recreated a mini columbine. Nevertheless, Columbine has taught everyone in the country a lot about the unexpected, how to be prepared for it, and how to prevent it.