Keeping the staff on the lookout for potential warning signs and encouraging students to tell someone if they hear of a potential danger are also key aspects in deterring violence, she said. He said Heights routinely reminds teachers and students to speak to someone if they hear a threat. After Columbine, Heights added a safety tip line to its voice mail systems in the middle and high schools. Philbin said a few messages have been left and each was investigated. Someone would get a bad test grade and say he was going to blow up the school.
Kids call kids on that now.
They report those comments to teachers, who take the students aside and talk to them. Philbin said smaller schools may be less susceptible to violence because students know each other. They're not walking into a building and shooting at strangers, he said. Smaller schools also make it easier for administrators to spot problems, said Ed Baker, principal of Sheridan middle and high schools. We walk the halls and know if someone's where they're not supposed to be.