Columbine survivors raise children in world shaped by attack
Now, the mother of four — and Columbine shooting survivor — sees mornings as an opportunity. She wakes early, makes breakfast and strives to send a clear message before her kids leave home: I adore you.
Drills teaching students to"lock down" inside classrooms became routine. Schools formed teams to assess threats, particularly from students. Security firms forged a multibillion-dollar industry, introducing surveillance video, panic buttons and upgraded doors and locks. And police changed their strategies for responding to a gunman intent only on killing.
She coaches her daughter when she ventures to places outside her mom's control: Where is the closest exit? What street are you on? Who is around you? Over's daughter, Brie, was 11 when her mother first told her about Columbine, a few days before the anniversary. That April 20, they visited the school for a memorial ceremony that included a reading of the names of the 13 people killed. Afterward, the Overs walked together through the quiet school.
But that is of little consolation to a swath of American parents. About 2 in 10 parents said they are not at all or not very confident in their children's safety while at school, while a third of parents are very or extremely confident, according to a March survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Isolation, depression, addiction and suicide are among the larger dangers he sees facing his kids' generation, and he knows firsthand the damage those can cause. "These are my children, and what I care about most is their safety," he said."And I know that for them, in a situation like that, getting away from it as quickly as possible is the best likelihood of success."When Kacey Ruegsegger Johnson's daughter Mallory was 8, a classmate saw her mom on a Denver news station. Mallory had a question: Was her mother famous?
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