The author began her public school English teaching career shortly after Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris shot and killed 15 people, including themselves, and wounded 34 others at Columbine High School. Shortly after the shootings, she ran across a "New York Times" article discussing the Columbine shooters and, in particular, their writing for English class. Klebold had written a story describing a shooting, but after his English teacher raised concerns, he convinced his mother and the school counselor that it was "just a story." She read another article about the regret an English teacher felt about not reporting a student's writing until after he killed four students and one teacher in Jonesboro, AR. School administrators are responsible for protecting student expression while maintaining the integrity of school disciplinary practices. Knowing legal guidelines and effective writing instruction can help principals determine when violent writing is threatening behavior or merely creative expression.