[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 7982-7983]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO REENA JASANI

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. PETE OLSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 4, 2013

  Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to interact with some of the 
brightest students in the 22nd Congressional District who serve on my 
Congressional Youth Advisory Council. I have gained much by listening 
to the high school students who are the future of this great nation. 
They provide important insight into the concerns of our younger 
constituents and hopefully get a better sense of the importance of 
being an active participant in the political process. Many of the 
students have written short essays on a variety of topics and I am 
pleased to share these with my House colleagues.
  Reena Jasani is a junior at Travis High School in Fort Bend County, 
Texas. Her essay

[[Page 7983]]

topic is: Select an important event that has occurred in the past 50 
years and explain how that event has changed our country.

                     The Consequences of Columbine

       For every student waking up that morning on April 20, 1999 
     it was just another regular day, full of the usual tests, 
     lectures, lessons, and homework. However, for the students of 
     Columbine High School that day became much more. The 
     seemingly normal school day abruptly transformed into a day 
     full of terror, pain, confusion, and shock, as two senior 
     students tried to bomb the school and shoot anyone and 
     everyone in the way, resulting in the deadliest mass murder 
     America had ever seen in one of its high school campuses. 
     This event led to changes in school policy, intensified 
     concern over gun control, and fear among Americans.
       After the shooting, schools nationwide have strengthened 
     their security and made improvements to prevent such an 
     event. Schools instituted new security measures like metal 
     detectors and see-through backpacks. Additionally, they 
     numbered doors and rooms for an easier public safety response 
     if this were to ever happen again. Most schools renewed anti-
     bullying and adopted a zero tolerance system for students in 
     possession of weapons or students threatening others. 
     Analysis of the common factors in perpetrators by the United 
     States Secret Service concluded that schools should pay more 
     attention to the behaviors of students, noticing potential 
     attackers and being especially aware of them. Most attackers 
     tended to feel bullied, reverting to shooting as some sort of 
     revenge. If teachers paid close attention to students being 
     bullied, they could try and put an end to it. Without the 
     bullying present, the student would most likely be happier 
     and not try to avenge.
       The shooting also affected the way in which the police 
     force handled situations with an active shooter. Instead of 
     surrounding buildings, setting up perimeters, and containing 
     the damage, a new tactic designed for the presence of an 
     active shooter interested in killing hostages rather than 
     taking them has been utilized. Now, police officers are 
     trained to move toward the sound of gunfire and stop the 
     shooter. The goal is to prevent the shooter from killing or 
     injuring more victims, meaning police officers have to walk 
     past injured victims until they have stopped the shooter. 
     This tactic has helped tremendously at the later shootings in 
     school campuses.
       The Columbine shooting also aroused fear among Americans, 
     for now schools, places that nearly every child went to every 
     weekday across the nation, seemed unsafe. Schools became 
     potential targets, with the perpetrators walking along side 
     by side other students. The idea of spending nearly seven 
     hours a day, five times a week, for about ten months a year 
     with someone who may pull out a gun one day and start 
     shooting terrified both kids and their parents. However, time 
     and improved security and safety helped allay these fears.
       April 20, 1999 will forever remain a day marked by alarm, 
     fright, trepidation, and hurt. The mass murder at Columbine 
     High School has not only affected the security of schools and 
     the tactic of the police, but also the hearts and minds of 
     Americans, for before, it was hard to imagine that such a 
     terrible thing would ever happen.

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