Former Columbine principal speaks at Coachella Valley school safety training

Frank DeAngelis retired as principal of Columbine High School in 2014. He was there when two shooters opened fire at the school on April 20, 1999. He shared his story at the Yes, It Can Happen In Our Schools International Training Symposium at Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage Thursday.

“What did we learn from the two killers? What did we learn from the others who’ve also done things? If we can learn these things and share them with others that we can prevent. As I shared in my presentation, we continue to hear about the shootings that occur,” said DeAngelis.

The two day session welcomed school teachers, administrators and law enforcement and various speakers including a Virgina Tech massacre survivor and social media consultants.

Jeff Kaye, founder of School Safety Operations, consults with schools and shows educators how to protect themselves, their students and each other.

“Training is the first step in getting people prepared. Preparedness is what we need to do to address any kind of threat whether it’s natural or manmade,” said Kaye. “It’s just not enough good quality training out there for educators and law enforcement involved in educational safety.”

Theresa Campbell, president of Safer Schools Together, focuses on how social media impacts safety in our schools, what violent behaviors to lookout for in the classroom and online.

“The plan really has to be making sure we are all trained understanding what does some of that worrisome behavior look like for those who are on the path for violence,” said Campbell.

DeAngelis said he’ll never forget the injured and those who died in the Columbine massacre.

“There’s nothing I can do to bring them back, but I’m going to do everything in my power to try to stop it from ever happening again,” he said.

The school safety training continues Friday. For more information about how you can get involve, visit www.saferschoolstogether.com