Colorado School Authorities Considering Tearing Down Columbine High School

On April 20, 1999, two students walked into Columbine High School armed with multiple weapons and began shooting up the school. In the course of the chaos, 12 students and a teacher were gunned down by the two shooters before taking their own lives.

And nearly 20 years later, some school authorities are considering the idea of tearing down Columbine.

This comes from Jason Glass, the current superintendent of Jeffco Public Schools, which includes Columbine. Glass wrote an open letter to the local community to address the possibility of finally tearing down Columbine, citing the wave of school shootings that followed.

“The tragedy at Columbine High School in 1999 serves as a point of origin for this contagion of school shootings,” Glass wrote.

“School shooters refer to and study the Columbine shooting as a macabre source of inspiration and motivation. In 1999, no guidance existed on what to do with a building such as Columbine High School. Today school safety experts recommend tearing down buildings where school shootings take place. Since the morbid fascination with Columbine has been increasing over the years, rather than dissipating, we believe it is time for our community to consider this option for the existing Columbine building.”

Glass also points to the recent case of Sol Pais, the 18-year-old Florida woman who was allegedly obsessed with Columbine. She had traveled to Colorado in April and purchased a shotgun, prompting a manhunt by authorities to find her out of fear she may attack the high school. However, it didn’t come to pass as Pais killed herself outside Denver.

Glass’ idea comes at an odd time for the community at large, though, which had just approved a $15 million renovation to the school. Instead, Glass and the Jeffco Public Schools Board of Education are said to be exploring the possibility of requesting another $60 to $70 million to build a new building outright.

“We are in the very preliminary and exploratory stages of these conversations,” Glass said, “and we are seeking community feedback and thoughts on this proposal.”

Currently, Columbine is considered one of the safest schools in the country thanks to an advanced security and surveillance system.