Columbine Shooting

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Columbine Shooting
Kailey Manley Maritere Nazario Meredith
Gill Krysten Kasprzyk
2
The Facts

• The shooting occurred on April 20, 1999 at
  Columbine High School near Littleton, CO
• 13 were killed and 24 injured, not including the
  severe emotional trauma suffered by those with no
  physical injuries
• The shooters, Columbine students Dylan Klebold
  and Eric Harris, took their own lives after the
  massacre

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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

• PTSD-a syndrome of symptoms that develop
  following a psychologically distressing event
  that is outside the range of usual human
  experience
• Symptoms- nightmares, flashbacks, panic attacks,
  horrifying memories, psychological or social
  withdrawal, irritability, rage, aggressiveness,
  insomnia, and avoiding stimuli associated with
  the trauma

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Effects on the students

• Many students at Columbine suffered as a result
  of the shootings
• Many chose not to return to the school, as the
  experience was too painful to endure-injured Mark
  Taylor chose not to return saying I dont want
  to go back there. I dont want go back to that
  kind of surroundings anymore.
• Others felt motivated to evaluate priorities and
  cherish friendships and the gift of being alive

5
A group of friends hug each other after being
released from the school.
Grief is shared among the students
Friends cope with their losses
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Effects Cont.

• Other students endured emotional as well as
  physical pain, and the burden of adapting to a
  new lifestyle

Richard Castaldo will forever remember Columbine
while coping with his life-long paralysis due to
injuries
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PTSD Treatment Options

• Anti-depressant medication- helps relieve the
  anxiety, insomnia, and depression symptoms that
  occur because of PTSD
• Group therapy- a victim meeting with other
  victims and a counselor to discuss the traumatic
  incident and the painful feelings associated with
  it
• Psychodynamic psychotherapy- meeting with a
  therapist one on one to better understand the
  intense emotions felt after the trauma

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How they coped

• Students who chose not to return to Columbine
  coped by forming new friendships and remaining in
  a positive environment
• Others sought medical help for depression
  symptoms from the PTSD
• Some saw grief counselors and therapists to
  discuss the incident and work towards overcoming
  the memories

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Effects on the parents

• Losing a child is a devastating loss and burden
  to bear for parents
• Many of the parents who lost children suffered
  from symptoms of PTSD, such as increased sorrow
  on special occasions like birthdays and holidays
• Others, like the students, were burdened by their
  loss, but were motivated to make sure incidents
  like Columbine do not reoccur

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• The Mauser family visiting the memorial of their
  son, Daniel. Daniels father is trying to get the
  NRA to have stricter laws to protect other
  children from dying like Daniel.

The grief of these parents is easily seen on
their faces, but the symptoms of PTSD go much
deeper.
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Effects Cont.

• One of the most common symptoms of PTSD that
  often affects parents is depression
• The mother of Anne Marie Hochhalter, a student
  injured in the Columbine incident, committed
  suicide shortly after the massacre due to severe
  depression
• Her family underwent grief counseling to cope
  with their loss

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Effect on the Community and the World
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Teenagers Across the Country

• For Those Who Dress Differently, an Increase in
  Being Viewed as Abnormal
• (May 1, 1999) In scattered reports from around
  the country, high school students who are
  computer lovers, dress defiantly, or who qualify
  in any way as outcasts, say that since the
  Columbine shooting they have not only been viewed
  as different but as threats.
• Immediately following the shooting Web Sites that
  even seemed suspicious were downloaded and
  inspected by authorities.

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• In Brookline, Mass., Tom De Rocco, a high school
  sophomore wearing a heavy chain around his neck
  bearing a lock engraved with the word "Macho," a
  black T-shirt depicting the punk band Exploited
  and thick-soled shoes, said that since the
  massacre, random people on the street have called
  him names and asked, "Going to blow up your
  school?"

15
Clinton pushes Congress to pass new gun control
legislation

• Since the Columbine shooting President Clinton
  has been pushing Congress to enact a long-stalled
  package of new gun control laws.
• On March 7, 2000 he said, "My message was simple,
  that Congress has kept the American people
  waiting long enough. I want Congress to finish
  the gun bill and send it to me for the
  anniversary of the Columbine (Colorado) tragedy,
  April 20th."

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Columbine tragedy was 'wakeup call' for nation's
SWAT teams

• In the four months since the massacre at
  Columbine High School, police across the country
  began to alter training procedures based on
  lessons learned from the most deadly school
  shooting in U.S. history, to better prepare for
  the worst-case scenario.
• In a four day police seminar in Palm Beach in
  1999 participants reenacted the Columbine
  tragedy, using fake blood, screaming students,
  screeching fire alarms and paint-ball guns.

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People Around the World Begin to Help

• After two months of fundraising a San Francisco
  teenager raised 18,000 to Columbine High School
  shooting victim, Lance Kirklin.
• In the wake of the April 20, gun and bomb attack
  at the school, 2.3 million has flowed into "The
  Healing Fund," a general fund for all victims
  that is being managed for free by the local
  United Way organization.

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Interview withOfficer Goggins-An Inside look
into School Security-
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• Q How long have you been in law enforcement with
  schools?

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• A I have been in law enforcement for 10
  years...I have been with the SRO program for 6
  years.

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• Q Were you at Spring Valley or another school
  when Columbine shooting occurred?

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• A I was the SRO at Clinton High School during
  the time of Columbine.

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• Q What kinds of safety precautions were in
  place at schools, particularly high schools,
  BEFORE columbine?

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• A Well in South Carolina..."School Resource
  Officers" were somewhat of a new concept...Also
  the individual schools had their Emergency Plans.
  However, schools were built for education, not
  safety...therefore, unfortunately safety was not
  a top priority.

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• Q What were some additional measures of security
  taken AFTER Columbine?

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• A Mandatory training for School officials and
  Law Enforcement... Improved Communication
  capabilities between Schools and Law
  Enforcement...Emergency Plans revised...School
  dress codes/I.D.'s for school personnel made
  mandatory at most schools. Various mandatory
  drills for schools to include law
  enforcement...Safety Assessment Plans prepared by
  the law enforcement agencies in jurisdiction of
  the school.

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• Q Have you ever experienced something similar to
  Columbine where other students lives were in
  serious danger?

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• A Numerous things happens in a school
  environment on a daily basis which has the
  potential to present serious danger to
  students...Majority of things have been handled
  without incident because of tips received and/or
  knowledge due to a previous incident.

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• Q What actions would you take if something such
  as guns were brought to school?

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• A Depending on the incident...Examples, If I
  receive word that a student has a gun on
  campus...I would treat them like any other
  suspect...Probably (if possible) a little more
  discreet. That person will be escorted by myself
  and possibly a school administrator to the
  nearest office. Once in the office that person
  will be searched...If a weapon is found, that
  person will be handcuffed and transported to
  jail...charged with several Felonies. If a person
  is discharging a weapon on campus I will first
  call for assistance from the Sheriff's Dept. . I
  am trained in Tactical Rapid Deployment...therefor
  e after calling for assistance I will attempt to
  locate and terminate the threat by any means
  necessary...During this time...School Admin. have
  been trained in their Role as to keeping the
  students/faculty/staff as safe as possible!

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• Q In your opinion, what could have been done to
  prevent Columbine?

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• A Hindsight is always 20/20...The school and law
  enforcement was heavily criticized after the
  incident...However, know one knows how they would
  react had they been placed in a similar
  situation. Now that, that is said...I think that
  "tips" should have been followed up by school
  administrators and law enforcement more
  thoroughly. I think that the school should've had
  a "Well put together Crisis Plan" and should've
  required more "Real Life" training to find the
  strengths and the weakness of the Plan. I think
  the Officers on scene should not have waited on
  "SWAT" to arrive in order to search for the
  shooters...The officers on location should have
  been trained in "Rapid Deployment" and attempted
  to eliminate the threat themselves.

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• Q What can students/teachers do to ensure their
  safety at school?

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• A Student/Faculty/Staff and Parents are the most
  important means to providing a safe
  environment...What we need is more
  communication...If you see something
  suspicious...Report it...if you hear something
  suspicious...Report it...If you have any
  knowledge of anything suspicious...Report
  it...The more communication we have between law
  enforcement and school officials the more safe
  our schools will be...Also take the "Drills"
  seriously and if teachers/students don't know
  what to do...Ask!!! Also, all parents should know
  their kids, their kids friends and their kids
  whereabouts at all times. Parents should also ask
  their school's administration...What can I do to
  assist...Parents should be involved in their kids
  school however possible.

35

• Q Is Spring Valley
• safe in emergency situations?

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• A I would like to think that we are Safe...You
  can never be 100...but Spring Valley's rates
  safety as the 1 priority...If the school is not
  safe, that would effect every other aspect of the
  school...can't learn in an unsafe environment. We
  have revised the Emergency Plan...We have
  implemented changes that would improve the safety
  of our campus...We have updated our supervision
  in order to minimize incidents. We attempt to be
  proactive when it comes to handling potentially
  unsafe situations.

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• Q What was your reaction when you heard about
  the shooting?

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• A When I heard about the shooting I was
  devastated...Thinking like most Americans...Why?
  and How? However, being in law enforcement and
  having the "Nothing Surprise Me"...mentality...I
  guess I looked at it more as a learning tool and
  realizing how much things have changed in this
  world today...From there we started to prepare
  for "copy cats".

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• Q How would you deal with other students/
  parents/ media after a traumatic event such as
  Columbine?

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• A We have "Emergency Procedure" plans in place
  which covers the aftermath of a Crisis
  Situation... Everything from the psychological
  side of things to Media relations, to parent
  student reunification sites...and much more.

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Bibliography

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Tabers
  Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary. Ed. 19. 1997.
• Townsend, Mary C. Essentials of Psychiatric and
  Mental Health Nursing. Philidelphia F.A. Davis
  Company, 2005
• Hugging friends.gif. Online Image. 11 Dec.
  2006Breaking_News_Photography.GIF.
• Wheelchair.jpg. Online Image. 11 Dec.
  2006
• 4-20 A Columbine Site 2006. 12 Dec. 2006
  .

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Bibliography Cont.

• Black, Dora. "Coping with Loss." British Medical
  Journal 316(1998) 1376-1378. (Journal)
• Way, "Coping with the Death of a Child."
  eMedicine. 11 Apr 2006. Web MD. 11 Dec 2006
  .
  (Website)
• "Greif and Children." Live and Learn. 1997.
  American Academy of Child Adolescent
  Psychiatry. 11 Dec 2006 liveandlearn.com/death.html. (Website)
• "Coping with a Loss." Caretakers. HIV positive.
  11 Dec 2006 ers/14-Coping/14- Children.html. (Website)
• Goldberg, Carey. "For Those Who Dress
  Differently, an Increase in Being Viewed as
  Abnormal." The Shunned. 1 May 1999. New York
  Times. 11 Dec 2006 nyt.html . (Magazine article online)
• Bernall, Misty. She Said Yes. Plough Publishing
  House, 1999. (Book)
• "Clinton pushes Congress to pass new gun control
  legislation." CNN. 07 Mar 2000. CNN. 12 Dec
  2006. nton.guns.03/. (Website)

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Bibliography Cont.

• "Columbine tragedy was 'wakeup call' for nation's
  SWAT teams." CNN. 18 Aug 1999. CNN. 12 Dec 2006
  /.
• "California student runs to aid Columbine
  shooting victim." CNN. 22 Jun 1999. CNN. 12 Dec
  2006
• .gift/.
• "Columbine families wrangle over 2.3 million in
  donations." CNN. 28 May 1999. CNN. 12 Dec 2006
  columbine.quarrel/index.html.