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Tonya Papanikolas reporting The shooting in Colorado has some questioning whether the same type of incident could happen in Utah.
Schools do consider safety a high priority for students. But it's a tough issue in a public school where the doors are wide open. In essence, anyone can walk in.
Every day, kids walk into schools expecting to learn in a safe environment. But how easy is it for someone to come in and harm the students?
Eric Vanderhoef, High School Student: "It doesn't really scare me, but the fact is, it can really happen."
Utah high school student Eric Vanderhoef says he saw weapons at his junior high.
Eric Vanderhoef: "I saw people bringing knives every day, and if they can do that, what's to say they won't bring guns, you know?"
School districts say it's a fine line between making schools accessible to parents and keeping dangers out. But they don't want to resort to tactics like metal detectors.
Randy Riplinger, Granite School District: "It's just a delicate balance between making a school safe and prison-like. Students need to have an atmosphere that is open to learning."
Most school districts do have security cameras; both outside and inside the schools. They are often linked to police departments.
Randy Riplinger, Granite School District: "If somebody says hey, we've got a suspicious person or somebody is causing a problem, the cameras go on immediately. We can assess the situation while our officers are on the way."
Resource officers work in junior high and high schools across the state. As they get to know the kids, they gain trust.
Aaron Rosen, Murray School Resource Officer: "One thing that I have in my school is an anonymous reporting box."
Outsiders aren't the only threat to students. In Utah in 1998, a Syracuse Junior High student grabbed hostages and fired gunshots at school. Police managed to grab him before anyone was seriously hurt.
Aaron Rosen, Utah Peace Officer's Association: "We take very seriously the safety of our children in their schools."
Utah law enforcement actually conducts drills with schools every year to practice emergency situations.
Schools say their staff and students also need to be very aware of who's coming into the schools, question anyone who seems out of place, and report anything that seem suspicious.
