Ten years ago tragedy struck Columbine High School in the suburbs of Denver, Colo. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, seniors at the school, killed 12 students, a teacher and injured more than 20 people while engaging in a vicious firing spree with shotguns, homemade bombs, a semiautomatic hand gun and a rifle.

Many Americans have reached the conclusion that the two boys were outcasts, bullied and were taking revenge against their classmates. Others feel that the school was simply an easy target, the starting point for Harris and Klebold’s bigger slaughter field.

Published reports state that after the two young men had planned to bomb the school with homemade propane bombs that could take out at least 600 people, their objective was to gun down any survivors, blow up their cars which were filled with explosives and go down in history as the world’s greatest mass murderers.

Columbine, in fact, has gone down in history as the worst school shooting in American history.

After further investigation of the boys’ mental state, psychologist say that while Klebold was the typical picture of a murderer, suicidal and depressed; Harris was a little harder to peg.

He was in fact a psychopath, not delusional at all and fully aware of the choices he was making. The two of them being close friends only fed into each others weaknesses and fueled hate and anger against the world.

April 20, 1999 was not only a day of mourning for America, it was a day to wake up. Schools around the nation immediately began implementing harsher policies and more organized safety plans.

In general, American schools are much more aware and have more heightened security measures now as compared to pre-Columbine days.

In some schools, video surveillance cameras, new school designs and security measures such as metal detectors have been installed.

Access to schools is also much more difficult.

Barrow County Schools have implemented a computerized sign-in form where pictures are taken of visitors as they sign in and printed off with their name for the guest to wear.

Barrow County also has strict conduct guidelines, a no harassment policy and sets forth standards of behavior which includes a progressive discipline process.

The policy also states:

Any student bringing a firearm as defined by federal law onto school property shall be referred to a student discipline tribunal. If the tribunal determines that the student did possess a firearm on school grounds, the student shall be suspended for not less than one year.

The tribunal may, in its discretion, impose a more lengthy suspension or allow the student to apply to the alternative school. In appropriate circumstances, or as the law requires, the superintendent may, in his or her discretion, modify the mandatory minimum one year suspension.

Any student who brings a firearm or weapon to school shall be referred to the appropriate criminal justice or juvenile delinquency authorities. The term weapon as used in this policy shall include any weapon as defined in O.C.G.A. §16-11-127-1.

And:

The Barrow County School District prohibits conduct that may be construed as bullying. Bullying includes any attempt or threat to inflict injury on another person when accompanied by an apparent present ability to do so or any intentional display of force such as would give the victim reason to fear or expect immediate bodily harm.

Upon a finding that a middle or high school student has committed the offense of bullying for the third time in a school year, the student shall be assigned to the alternative school. Language regarding the prohibition against bullying and the possible penalties for engaging in such conduct will be included in the student code of conduct. This language shall also be included in middle and high school student handbooks and posted at each middle and high school.

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) recently congratulated Dr. Ron Saunders, superintendent for Barrow County Schools, for updating the district’s safety plan. The plan has been re-approved.

"Barrow County school officials have been working with their local emergency management agency director and GEMA school safety coordinator for several months to review and test their plans," said GEMA Director Charley English.

"We commend them for their continuing efforts to ensure safety and security in all 16 schools."

By law, every public school in Georgia must develop and implement a wide-ranging safety plan that addresses acts of violence or terrorism, natural disasters, hazardous materials and radiological incidents.

GEMA’s school safety coordinators offer training and technical assistance to educators, emergency management and public safety personnel. This includes site surveys, classes on weapons screening, school bus safety, gangs, bullying, exercise design and bomb threat management. They also respond to school crises.

For most of us, the images shown on TV screens across America are imbedded in our minds. Similar to the 9-11 attacks, we could not pull ourselves away from the news as it unfolded before our eyes.

Children in single file lines, crawling out of windows and running across fields to escape a massacre that most had only seen in horror flicks.

The fact of the matter is, none of us knows what was going through Harris and Klebold’s minds as they slaughtered their classmates. And unfortunately, no one knows when tragedy will strike again.

But Barrow Countians can rest easy in the fact that something is being done. Measures are being taken to protect our kids and although safety plans don’t always prevent tragedy from striking, they do often deter it.