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Retired principal of Columbine HS speaks in Terrell on a mission to stop school violence

Every morning, Frank DeAngelis wakes up and recites the name of the 12 kids and 1 friend he lost in the Columbine High School Shooting.

Every morning, Frank DeAngelis wakes up and recites the name of the 12 kids and 1 friend he lost in the Columbine High School Shooting. Although 19 years have passed since April 19, 1999, it’s still a fresh memory for him.

DeAngelis was the long-time principal of Columbine High School. He remembers running out of his office and seeing the gunman. DeAngelis said he sprinted toward a group of girls and locked them in the gym to keep them safe as two people opened fire on his campus.

Now, DeAngelis makes it his mission to stop mass tragedies, especially at schools. On Thursday, he attended Kaufman County’s School Safety Symposium at Terrell Independent School District. DeAngelis was the keynote speaker.

“I was never prepared for dealing with any type of tragedy,” he said. While he promotes prevention, DeAngelis is also preparing first responders and educators for the worst case scenario.

Not once did he mention the killers' names. Like routine, DeAngelis said the names of all 13 victims. They remind him every day why he is speaking out about violence in schools.

Terrell ISD Superintendent Micheal French was at the symposium. He said it hits close to home. In 2002, he was at Scurry Rosser High School. French and several other coaches had to tackle a student to prevent a massacre from happening. French said, “We had a live gunman come in and try to set kids on fire.” He’s made it a priority to keep his students safe.

French works closely with Terrell ISD Police Chief Gary Mork. They know it takes a team to prevent and train for an incident. Mork said, “This is not alright, what goes on in our schools. If they see something, they need to say something.”

Since the shooting in Parkland, Florida, a committee was formed in Kaufman County to better student safety. Thursday’s School Safety Symposium is the start of many efforts to change violence at schools.

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