The question "Why?" that dominated the cover of the May 3, 1999, issue of Newsweek magazine in the aftermath of the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado is again being asked in the wake of the nation's deadliest school shooting in six years - this one at Red Lake High School in northern Minnesota.

Rightfully so. There is justifiable fear across the nation that this week's deadly incident might be imitated in these final months of the current school year by other troubled youths who feel they have cause for wreaking an act of vengeance or retaliation on classmates, teachers and schools.

No community should feel immune to a similar incident. Polls in coming weeks are likely to gauge Americans opinions about what the future might hold. In the days following Columbine, a Newsweek poll found that 63 percent of Americans believed that it was very or somewhat likely that a shooting incident could happen at their local schools.

Thus, thoughts of 16-year-old Jeff Weise, the shooter in this week's Minnesota tragedy, aren't likely to disappear from the minds of Americans anytime soon, especially people with school-age children. In the past, most of America's schools were regarded as places of safety, as well as places of learning. Today, parents and others are not so sure.

A message contained in that May 3, 1999, Newsweek, in a story titled "How to fight back," is as relevant now as it was then. It is as follows:

"There are certainly steps that schools can take to improve physical security, and many have done so since the appalling spate of massacres began a few years ago. But many educators and even law-enforcement officials now believe that armed guards and weapons sweeps and "intruder drills" must be supplemented with attention to the psychological and social dynamics of high school. Teachers, counselors and parents all need to be looking out for the teenager whose alienation boils over into rage. This is a daunting task, since he's likely to be one in, literally, a million. But the realization is growing that much of the burden of preventing future tragedies . . . will rest with students themselves.

"They are, after all, in the best position to know."

Some people at Red Lake no doubt believe that this week's tragedy might have been averted if prior behavior by Weise had been known and/or had evoked positive efforts on his behalf, rather than mere punishment. It is believed Weise might have used the handle "Todesengel" - German for "Angel of Death" - on a neo-Nazi Web site expressing admiration for Adolf Hitler. In April 2004, "Todesengel" identified himself as Jeff Weise of the Red Lake Indian Reservation and said he was accused of "a threat on the school I attend," but was later cleared. A school board member said Weise had been placed in the school's Homebound program for a policy violation, but did not elaborate.

However, it is impossible for any school official to know and understand what might be ticking inside the mind of every student attending his or her school. Every school faces a big challenge, regardless of what safeguards have been put in place to avert an incident like Red Lake or Columbine. In most instances, school officials and boards of education merit praise for how they have addressed the issue, especially since Columbine, and for the resources they have allocated toward the goal of school safety.

Unfortunately, no efforts can be regarded as foolproof.

After Columbine, David Capuzzi, an authority on counseling troubled youth, provided the following rule to which he said young people should adhere:

"Never promise your friend that you won't tell if your friend is talking about hurting someone else or making an attempt on his or her own life."

And, he also emphasized to adults the importance of teaching kids never to make those promises.

All of the "Why?" behind the Red Lake killing spree will take time to unravel - if, indeed, it ever can be. In the meantime, most troubled youths will be able to sort out and deal with their problems and emotions without resorting to violence such as what Weise inflicted, or what Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris meted out at Columbine, before, like Weise, ending their own lives.

The concern in the weeks ahead must be about those who envision their lives as without hope or at a dead end, don't know how to deal with it, and blame others for their fate. Red Lake proves that even small schools must reaffirm their state of vigilance.