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Colorado school officials say they "explore the concept" of demolishing Columbine High School, site of one of the country's most famous shootings, and new construction. .
On April 20, 1999, two students opened fire at Littleton High School in Colorado. They shot 12 of their classmates and a teacher before killing themselves. The massacre preceded a wave of school shootings, including those of Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook Elementary School and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
"The tragedy at Columbine High School in 1999 is the starting point for this contagion of shootings in schools," Jason District Superintendent Jefferson Public Schools said in an open letter to the school district on Thursday. community. "School shooters refer and study the filming of Columbine as a macabre source of inspiration and motivation."
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In the letter, Glass says, "In 1999, there was no indication on the use of a building such as Columbine High School.Today, school safety experts recommend demolishing the buildings where school shootings take place Since the morbid fascination for Columbine over the years, rather than dissipating, we think it is time that our community considers this option for the existing Columbine building. "
The Superintendent also refers in the letter to Sol Pais, an 18-year-old Florida woman who was reportedly obsessed with the shooting in Columbine. In April, Pais traveled to Colorado with a shotgun and ammunition and threatened schools in the Denver area before killing himself.
"Columbine High School attracts a lot of people like this," Glass said, noting that local law enforcement and the Jeffco Public School School Safety Department set up every year contacts with "hundreds of individuals" who were seeking to enter Columbine High School. "reconnect with the murders of 1999".
"Most of them are there to satisfy a curiosity or interest macabre but harmless for the school," he added. "For a small group of other people, there is a potential intention to harm."
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Columbine High School is now one of the safest schools in the country, benefiting from a "sophisticated system" of surveillance and security protection, according to Glass. But the blood stained history of the building remains.
"The school's website continues to serve as a source of inspiration for potential shooters, and its lasting impact only seems to grow," Glass said. "Perhaps influenced by the 20th anniversary of the shooting, in the past 11 months, the number of people attempting to enter the school illegally or otherwise encroach on a school property has increased – to reach record levels. "
Voters approved last year a $ 15 million renovation and expansion project for the current school. However, Jeffco's board of education and public school administration is considering asking voters to pay an extra $ 60-70 million for the construction of a new building, according to the director.
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Some of the ideas envisioned by Glass include the demolition of the existing building and its replacement with controlled fields and entry points, as well as the construction of the new school west of the current location, with enhanced security features .
"We are in the preliminary and exploratory phase of these conversations," he said, "and we are looking for feedback and reflections from the community on this proposal."
Sandy Hook Elementary School in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, was demolished after Adam Lanza's death of 20 students and six teachers in December 2012. There was also talk of demolishing Building 12, where the massacre of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, took place in February 2018.
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