Say Something has a long track record of averting tragedy. In the fall of 2015, the program helped stop a planned school shooting at a Cincinnati Middle School. The student made the threat in the building to other students and mentioned having another student recruited to shoot at students. If not for a brave student and an educated, compassionate guidance counselor, it had the potential to be carried out.
“As we were preparing for Say Something Week, a student who was training to be a Say Something leader came to talk to me about hearing another student make threats to bomb the school, and was recruiting another student to shoot escaping students. Because I had been trained in Say Something, I knew how to deal with this risk. Upon investigation, the student making the threats was arrested and taken into custody.”
“I wouldn’t have known about this unless that student had said something to me. Say Something demonstrates the important role young people play in looking out for each other and in being the ears and eyes of their school. It also demonstrates why it is so important to listen to young people who come to us for help.”
School Guidance Counselor
The school resource officer, Dean Doerflein, said the alleged threats were overhead by several other students and caused some panic throughout the school early on, but all avenues were investigated by police and the school was deemed safe.
We are so fortunate that the threat in Cincinnati was averted and we can’t adequately express our gratitude and appreciation for the heroic student that reported what they had heard. When we give students the tools to safely, effectively report threats, and assure them that they’re trusted and will be listened to by teachers and elders, we open the doors to better communication, which creates a safer environment for all.
Stories like this stress the importance of this free, effective program and prove how easy it can be to #ProtectOurKids.
Students are the eyes and ears of our schools and when we teach them how to safely and quickly report a threat; those threats don’t have time to turn into tragedies.
Find out how you can bring Say Something to your school or community.
