Pocono News Section

Columbine High School Tragedy 10 Years Later

Columbine High School Tragedy 10 Years Later - Monday, April 20, 2009 at 11:27AM EST

LUZERNE COUNTY- 10-years ago today, a pair of troubled teens mounted a deadly attack on their Colorado high school. The Columbine tragedy left both of those teens, 12-students and 1-teacher dead. It also forced school districts to re-evaluate safety procedures.
On this day in 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold used homemade bombs and an arsenal of firearms to carry out the Columbine massacre. The student shooters put an end to the carnage by taking their own lives.

The attack provoked passionate discussions about making schools safer. Eyewitness News spoke with school leaders today about what's changed for the better through the years.

Part of that safety starts right at the school doors. Wilkes-Barre Area Superintendent Jeff Namey said, "You need to buzz in. We have cameras looking at who's there trying to get into the school. Every single year we remind our entire staff the importance of making sure the doors are closed."

Wyoming Valley West Principal Dave Tosh said, "We have a very intricate security system here in the building through technology. We can watch a student walk in the building and go to any part of this building with obviously the exception of a bathroom. But we can watch them go room to room, hall to hall and monitor that and that's been a tremendous asset for us."

Both Wyoming Valley West High School in Plymouth and the 3 high schools in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District use police officers to patrol the buildings on a daily basis.

And these schools encourage students to report anything that may threaten their safety at school.

Wilkes-Barre Area Superintendent Jeff Namey said his district sent out an e-mail to the staff reminding them today is the Columbine anniversary and to stay vigilant to keep everyone safe.