NEWTOWN, Conn. — The Texas School Safety Center (TSSC), in partnership with Sandy Hook Promise (SHP), has completed the violence prevention training of more than 2,000 adults through more than 150 teacher workshops in schools across the state.
October 15 marks the start of the National Center for School Safety’s America’s Safe Schools Week, where school leaders throughout the country participate in events to advocate for school safety.
The partnership was launched in 2018 as part of the Students, Teachers and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act grants funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
“Our work with the Texas School Safety Center trained thousands of trainers who, in turn, will train middle and high school students with the tools to help stop school violence and youth suicide,” 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. “Countless lives will potentially be saved thanks to this collaboration.”
The workshops center around Sandy Hook Promise’s Know the Signs curriculum, which teaches youth and adults how to recognize the signs of someone who is at risk of harming themselves or others and, most importantly, when and how to get help. All told, 2,484 adults attended the workshops throughout Texas.
“By working together, we were able to share evidence-informed curriculum and tools across the state,” said Texas School Safety Center Director Kathy Martinez-Prather. “We’re already seeing the life-saving results of our work.”
Attendees described the workshops as motivating and informative:
- “I’m excited to begin the training with my students and staff next school year. We will be implementing buddy benches next year, and this program works perfectly with our vision! I can’t wait to plan our spirit week!”
- “This training was very informative and aligns with the values of the organization: communities in schools as a district partnership.”
- “The training content and delivery were easy to follow. This training has definitely motivated me to implement it in my school.”
The STOP School Violence Act makes annual grants available through the Bureau of Justice Assistance to states, school districts, and tribal organizations to bring evidence-based programs and strategies to schools to prevent violence. Through these programs, students, school personnel, and community members are trained in how to identify signs of violence and how to intervene to prevent people from hurting themselves or others. The STOP School Violence Act, which Sandy Hook Promise was instrumental in writing and passing in 2018, was the first bipartisan school safety legislation of its kind.
###
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.
Media Contact:
Ali Tadayon | [email protected] | 203.304.9780 ext. 279