It is now over 10 years since the shootings at Columbine High School in April 1999. While Columbine was not the first school shooting in the United States, or the last, it remains the most important. For many people, but especially for parents, the name "Columbine" has become a one-word summation of fears and concerns about the condition of modern youth. In particular--and not surprisingly--the events in Columbine have concentrated public attention on school safety and school-based crime. In the wake of Columbine, most school boards in North America have embarked upon various safe school and anti-bullying policies and programs, in response to real public anxiety about safety in schools. Many of these initiatives have never been properly evaluated; of those that have, some have been found to be ineffective and others have been found to produce effects that were presumably unintended. In this article, the author focuses on two such high-profile initiatives: school uniform and zero tolerance policies. (Contains 19 notes.)