He added that he also is able to stay calm because it has been years since anything has really shocked him. Life goes on. The last shocking incident he witnessed occurred when he was the principal at LeSueur-Henderson. A police officer was shot by a student in October of the same year as Columbine. At that time students were sent home for wearing a dress that was too short or hair that was too long.
Drugs contribute to the biggest factor in success in school - absenteeism.
Eighty-five percent of the time, students are not in the building. We only have them for the six hours each day they are here. A total of 75 full-time instructors teach five classes per day at Austin High School. More than 335 classes are offered to students, ranging from advanced placement, physics, art and political science to basic courses. There are more than 30 different activities that students can participate in outside of the classroom setting.