NEWTOWN, Conn. – Officials from Sandy Hook Promise and the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) recently celebrated the culmination of seven years of collaboration to improve school safety. Through close partnerships, state officials have been able to leverage grant funding opportunities available under the “Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act.”
Since 2018, grants administered by DESPP’s Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) under the STOP School Violence Act have supported a wide range of district- and youth-led initiatives in Connecticut schools. Typically, these grant periods last only three years, but the effects of the pandemic led to several necessary extensions. In total, the funds have been used to create safer school environments in 37 districts in the state, encompassing about 150 schools and hundreds of thousands of students.
The longstanding partnership between the two organizations has enabled Sandy Hook Promise to deliver a holistic set of violence-prevention programs to Connecticut students. This includes programs like Start with Hello, which addresses social isolation and creates more welcoming school environments. Students have also participated in Say Something, which teaches students to recognize the warning signs and get help, as well as Say Something: Prevent Suicide, which trains individuals to recognize the warning signs of suicide and how to get help.
Because of the collective work that DEMHS and Sandy Hook Promise have achieved together, these life-saving programs have helped prevent at least 20 potential youth suicides in Connecticut since 2020, in addition to over 50 mental health interventions, among other acts of school violence and self-harm.
“Connecticut has long been a leader in safety and prevention. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, our state took courageous, thoughtful action to strengthen laws and close loopholes that put people at risk. And now, through the leadership of DESPP and the commitment of educators, law enforcement, and community partners, Connecticut is a leader in comprehensive violence prevention. We’ve already made strides in keeping students safe, but there is still more we can do to build an even safer Connecticut. We have the structure. We have the funding. What we need now is the will – and coordinated action,” said Nicole Hockley, co-founder and CEO of Sandy Hook Promise and mother of Dylan who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.
“We can be proud of the work Connecticut has done to make schools physically safer and to strengthen regulation of firearms. But after that hard work, there is more to be done,” said DESPP Commissioner Ronnell A. Higgins. “We must embrace the most promising and emerging practices that will make our communities, our schools, and our children, safer.”
“Recognizing the signs of a kid in crisis and acting quickly is really important to keeping our kids and schools safe. The last seven years have shown just how successful early intervention programs can be when used effectively but we still have a lot of work to do. I’m thankful to Sandy Hook Promise and the many organizations dedicated to continuing this life-saving work in Connecticut and across the country,” said U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).
“Connecticut did not hesitate to take decisive school safety action, after the tragic events of Sandy Hook Elementary School. We knew we had to address the root causes of school violence before it happens. As a result, Connecticut has been a respected leader in school safety and communities across the state are all the better for it. From peer led initiatives to educational programs to self-harm reduction, the Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act grants have helped save lives. While the grant period comes to an end, it is important we do not lose any momentum. Together with the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, school districts, and groups like Sandy Hook Promise, I am committed to continue to fight for federal funding opportunities to support proactive intervention efforts that keep students safe,” said Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05).
What Comes Next?
Now that the STOP grant period has concluded in Connecticut, officials are looking ahead to build upon the program’s achievements and keep the momentum growing.
During a recent event coordinated by DESPP called the “Connecticut Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Symposium,” Nicole Hockley served as the keynote speaker. She explained that the next steps to truly making Connecticut children safe involve building systems that make prevention second nature.
Some of the steps she outlined included:
- Embedding the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System in every Connecticut school district.
- Training every educator, student, and staff member to recognize the warning signs and take action to get help.
- Strengthening partnerships between schools, mental health services, law enforcement, and state agencies.
- Working in tandem with school assessment teams, sharing information and tip intervention strategies.
- And ensuring that every young person in this state knows that if they need help, someone will listen — and do something.
“These aren’t isolated efforts — they’re part of a statewide culture shift toward early intervention and care. As a parent and a Connecticut resident, I believe the impact of shared training, consistent systems, and unified commitment across all of our school districts, threat assessment teams, and law enforcement teams, will be completely transformational. When a whole state collaborates and implements the same programs, systems, and processes – you generate real power. I would love to see this full, statewide approach for Connecticut,” Hockley said.
“We can see how targeted violence is impacting our schools. We can also see that by working together and learning from each other, we can make a difference,’’ Higgins said. “We can create new strategies and programs that focus on prevention. We can intervene before people choose violence. We can save lives.”
For more information about violence prevention programs, resources for communities, and information about safe firearm access policies that are proven to save lives, please visit sandyhookpromise.org.
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Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) envisions a future where all children are free from school shootings and other acts of violence. As a national nonprofit organization, SHP’s mission is to educate and empower youth and adults to prevent violence in schools, homes, and communities. Creators of the life-saving, evidence-informed “Know the Signs” prevention programs, SHP teaches the warning signs of someone who may be in crisis, socially isolated, or at-risk of hurting themselves or others and how to get help. SHP also advances school safety, youth mental health, and responsible gun ownership at the state and federal levels through nonpartisan policy and partnerships. SHP is led by several family members whose loved ones were killed in the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.
The Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS), part of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP), provides a coordinated, integrated program for statewide emergency management and homeland security, including coordination of the state response to emergencies, strategic and operational all-hazards planning; community preparedness; exercise and training; and grants planning and program management.
Media Contacts:
Nick Dmitrovich | [email protected] | 203-304-9780 Ext. 279
Rick Green | [email protected] | 860-539-0159