What seems to be different, not only in Columbine, is that cliques exhibiting deviant behavior are considered a normal part of the in-school scene. Where once the circle of adult authority extended all the way to the edge of school property and into the community, that circle has shrunk to classrooms and administrative offices. And it is under attack there too. Schools, large high schools in particular, have succumbed to the societal notion that beyond certain areas that are the domain of authority figures, everywhere else is an authority-free zone. It has turned schools into replicas of public streets and meeting places.
Adults have only marginal control of non-classroom and administrative school space.
It is no coincidence that the killers attacked most successfully in the cafeteria, library and hallways where adult supervision is weakest. Many shopping malls now have more rules of behavior that high schools. School administrators are under siege. If they try to reassert traditional authority, they come under fire from the individual rights bar. If they don't, they are accused of dereliction of duty.