>> April 20th, 1999. 2 teenage
gunman took the lives of 12
students and one teacher inside
Columbine High School in
Littleton, Colorado, today on
KPRC 2. Plus, now
we honor those
♪
>> they had hoped to get down
because it was gunshots.
And we all got down with Kyle
out. We all ran just across the state is still hear the
state is still hear the
gunshots going off. So we’re
>> This
>> can’t be I
don’t know to be safe at
♪
>> it’s just feel so helpless
because we’re all trying to
do something. You know, there’s nothing you can do
nothing you can do
♪
>> we still remember, the whole
country remembers especially
Columbine. And, you you know,
we are country is.
>> Today mass shootings have
escalated to a record pace in
the U.S. with at least 162
already reported this year.
♪
>> Columbine became a blueprint
of sorts for school shooters,
giving them a playbook for how
to pull off an assault on a
place that’s supposed to be
safe. This is why we’re
dedicating time to talk about
it this morning on KPRC 2.
Plus, now starting with a
conversation I had with
Columbine is retired principal
about that horrifying day.
24 years ago.
April 20th, 1999. When you hear
that date, what runs through
your mind?
>> Well, it was one of the
worst days of my life a day in
which my life but change
forever.
At times, it’s hard to believe
it’s going to be 24 years.
but it unfortunately it defines
our community, but it really
doesn’t signify what a great
community Columbine is. And
I put the phrase early on a
time to remember, make time
for hope. And I think Columbine
does We will always remember
our beloved 13 lost their lives
and everyone who was so deeply
impacted. But Columbine does
offer hope and I can tear with
you today that I truly believe
our community is stronger today
and what it was prior to that
in so many things happened that
day that I can explain. I just
have to accept I was a type of
principle. It just a little
bit of history. I taught at
Columbine in coach to combine
for many, many years and in all
of us and I was approached to
get in an administrative
license, become a principal and
it was tough for me to leave
the classroom in coaching.
But I was completing my 3rd
year as principal in one of
the things that thing that I
loved about the principal’s job
and is the relationships with
the kids and the students in
in. I made it. I promise that I
was never going to be that
principle. That was in the
office at the kids did not know
what was. And so the reason I’m
saying that is probably out
of 175 days. I met with their
students for a lunch down in
the cafeteria. Will that day?
I was not in the building early
on. I our future business
leaders of America work getting
awards and they want to me to
be there. So as they’re late,
getting back to Columbine.
And so I’m looking for a staff
member who student taught at
Columbine was a one-year
contract. Kiki lleva, and he I
was looking to him because I
was going higher and welcome to
the Columbine family. I
couldn’t find him. So he was in
my office right when a line to
starting. So he sits down.
I’m getting ready to get in the
hole. Welcome the Columbine
Rebels
for life.
>> And to this day and I just
saw taking yesterday, I don’t
know if everyone a contract
that we still working
at Columbine.
>> But before we can have that
discussion, my secretary comes
running in the door shut and
she
faced plans and the child is
born. I knew something was
wrong. She said, Frank, there’s
been reports of gunfire and
bombs exploding. In my mind,
this is not registering.
I’ve been there for 20 years.
I can count on 2 hands. A
number of this fight we have.
It was a perfect school.
We had kids come from other
school districts to be a part
of this great school. And then
when I came out of my office,
my worst nightmare became a
reality I to spread towards
a gunman. And I remember so
vividly it’s just slow down.
But the gunman had a long rifle
in barrel of the gun looked
about the size of the
candidate. And I just hear
those shots going glass
breaking behind me. People fly.
Why? Why would you want or to
gunman one reason? And one
reason some of my kids were
in trouble.
>> Had about 25 girls that were
coming out of the locker room
to go to the physical education
plan. Sounds like they were
just in the crossfire and I
knew I had to protect them.
So I’m running down in the
girls use in this property
property. What’s going on said
we got to go. We’ve got to go.
I pull on the gymnasium doors
and its law to the gunman is
coming around. The corner of
the girls are screaming,
praying. Papa saves Papa.
Save us. I literally had about
25 to 30 keys on a
key ring Persky. Every can step
in the door in the first right.
I got the girls in went out and
got the place in a protected
me as I went and got the girls
and we went over to Clement
Park, which was where
everything was mobilizing.
And I work with the police that
day for the rest of the day
and then ended up at Leawood
Elementary, which was a
reunification center at that
point. what I witnessed that
day, I was never a pro.
Therefore, I don’t care how
many degrees training you have
never prepared for because you
never expected to happen in
one of the things when I go out
and reach out to these
communities, the first thing
they tell me, I can’t believe
it happened here. And if you
ask me, you know, almost 24
years ago, I would’ve said, no,
it doesn’t happen here other
places. But unfortunately, it
continues to have, according to
The Washington Post, they have
a lot of shootings across the
country.
>> And since Columbine, they
report there have been 277
school shootings in this
country close to 350,000
students in the U.S. have
experienced gun violence while
at school as the retired
principal of Columbine High
School. When you hear the stats
today, 24 years later. Does
that upset you?
>> It upsets me, but I refuse
to give up hope. But the one
thing that I think we need to
mention is we continue to hear
about the school shootings, but
how many have been stopped
because of things we have in
place now that weren’t in place
when you were growing up in all
the different things that we’re
looking at now is protection
because that does not
necessarily make the airways
your social media. Another
school shooting was stopped
because we had school resource
officers or we had safe to tell
an anonymous tip line. And I
think we can’t forget it that
we’ve got to continue to give
up because they’re all of our
kids. It doesn’t matter.
Colorado, Texas, Florida,
they’re all of our kids.
>> How long were you a
principal after you? I was
principal 15 years after in
the reason being originally.
>> I made a decision, but I
I and I asked the staff and
I asked parents, let’s stay
together for 3 years until the
freshman class graduated, which
was 2002. And so I made that
commitment. I said, you know,
during tough times, families
come together. But after that,
I said we do whatever we need
to do in. So I was planning on
staying 3 years and like, you
know, moving to impossible.
Another school or central
administration. And this is not
for everyone, but one of the
things that has really
influenced me is I’m a person
of faith. And I was really
question my fate
that night. The what I’ve been
a member of the parish father,
Kim, we only called me down,
said father struggles to please
come down. So I walk into the
church and in the sector state,
you must been about 1200
people. So he called me up on
the altar along with some of my
students were part of the youth
group along that some staff
members and he whispered
something he said, Frank, you
should have died that day.
But that’s not a plan.
And any whisper in Proverbs 16,
it said in its heart, a man
plans his course, but that he
said we’re going to fall.
You’re going to be punched.
Your, you know, your doubly.
But there’s going to be he’s
going to be there to pick up so
all of a sudden, I’m thinking
I’m going to leave Columbine.
You know, I got to make an
announcement coming up and I
can bring those words resonate,
that I got to rebuild the
community to help others.
And I said I have not done that
in the 3 years. And so that’s
what I went out and made a
commitment. I said I’m going to
stay as principle until every
kid who is in the elementary
school and middle school that
day. I was their principal.
And given that diploma, it’s
h*** is getting ready to
retire. In 2012.
parents as we need to me, we
need a meeting right now said,
OK, now what’s going on?
And they said Mister D You
can’t retire. Listen, we made
that come in. They said you
don’t understand. My kid was in
the first year of a two-year
preschool program. So you need
to stay a couple more years.
And I said I hope that it will
make it 15 years. So when I
left kids that were in during
Columbine High School weren’t
even born. So I upheld that
come in. But that. You know,
with the priest was pretty
minor time after time we hear
from.
>> Parents of survivors, we
hear of parents of victims.
Sometimes we hear from
survivors within schools that
experience gun violence.
We hear from faculty and staff
we don’t very often hear from
principals. And I know you have
used your experience from that
day and the days that followed
and the platform that you have
to make a difference among
principals who experienced gun
violence. Wanted to tell me
about what it is that you’ve
done.
>> Yes, it all started back a
few days after Columbine, I
received a phone call from Bill
Bond and he was the principal
at Heat High School in Paducah
where they had a school
shooting and he was part of the
National Association of
Secondary School Principals
who he said Frank, here’s why.
And you don’t even know what
you need.
>> I will keep my number and
I’m thinking, gosh, okay.
And I didn’t. I mean, it was
just trial and error. Every
day was a new experience.
So I would call him and he
would help me what we do when
we going back into the
building. What we do for our
graduation, which was a month
away. And I can remember
thinking I’m so naive thinking
I hope, but I never have to
make a phone call like Bill had
made to me. Well,
unfortunately.
I was way off on that one
because I can remember having
to make my first phone call it
was I think February of 2000
there was a school shooting in
California. And I remember
reaching out to the principal.
And from that point on every
other shooting, I would call in
just saying it’s not because
it’s Frank DeAngelis. It’s
because Columbine High School
and I would just call this is
if you need any support.
Here’s my number in within 24
hours, the principles we call
me in. When I made the
statement and I know what
you’re feeling. They’re saying,
yeah, you do. You were there
and so was in 2018, the head
National Associates, Secondary
School principals, great Apple
said Frank, I’m thinking of
starting something called the
Principal Recovery Network.
We would like you to organize
because we know you’re reaching
out to these principles.
And so we got together and
there are 20, I think about 22
of
us from schools in which
there’s been violence,
shootings and things of that
nature include superintendents
and principals. So we met in
Washington, D.C., I mean, the
first time we’re all in the
ring together and they said, I
remember receiving your phone
call, Frank, we opened up.
They we opened up to each
other. So it was last year
we’ve been working on something
called the Principals Recovery
Guide and Good. Greg Johnson in
Elizabeth Brown. It’s did that.
But we
put this guide together from
the experience is like, what do
you do with the media? What do
you do when you re enter
school? What do you do with the
remember it in? So we did last
summer. All the principals met
me at Columbine High School,
met there for 2 days. And I
talked about my experience and
then the next day we get it.
A national repress. Really it’s
about this guy. And so that’s
one of the things we’re doing
now just recently we had a
school shooting at Denver East,
which is within the Denver area
and then received phone calls
from what’s happening in the
U.S. felt that we reach out to
help these people, communities
heal. One last question for
you, sir. Principals, who might
need help. Might need
resources.
>> How can they go about
connecting with you or the
network to get those?
>> Resources. They go to the
principal’s recovery network
and has our e-mail addresses.
It can make a phone call
immediately will get in contact
with them. The important
message is you’re never in this
journey alone and one important
message, if I can share with
the viewers, it is something
you never cared for in
unfortunately is puts the balls
is school people. We feel the
need to take care of everyone
else. But if you don’t take
care of yourself, you’re not
going to help others. And when
I have these conversations with
all the portables and
superintendent and staff
members, I said, what are you
doing to take care of yourself
because you put everyone else’s
needs. That’s who we are as
educators. But if I did not
get into counseling
immediately, I wouldn’t be
having this conversation with
you and being able to help
others.
>> And we thank frank for
taking time to speak with us.
Columbine was the deadliest
mass shooting at a U.S. high