The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission recently released its initial report on recommendations for K-12 school safety in Florida including prevention, active shooter, and post-event response strategies.
In response to this report, Sandy Hook Promise, a leading school violence prevention organization issued the following statement:
“The Commission has taken a first and important step of investigating and assessing what happened at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018,” said Mark Barden, co-founder and managing director of Sandy Hook Promise, and father of Daniel who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy.
“We agree with the recommendation that effective school safety begins with prevention, understanding that gun violence is preventable when we train our students, educators, and community members to know the signs and signals of at-risk behaviors and act to get help. We also agree that equipping our schools with anonymous reporting systems and proactive threat assessment teams that can triage and intervene earlier to stop a crisis before it happens, will further promote the safety of our children and schools.” he continued.
“Because Senate Bill 7026 has many sound provisions that have not yet been fully implemented, we are concerned by any proposal to expand who can carry firearms on school grounds and around students. The focus should remain on more proactive programming and on providing students with needed services and supports to prevent violence.” To date, more than 5.5 million people have been trained in Sandy Hook Promise’s proven Know the Signs programs that focus on prevention to help end the epidemic of gun violence by training youth and adults how to identify at-risk behavior and intervene to get help before a tragedy can occur. Through these no-cost signature programs, Sandy Hook Promise has averted multiple school shooting plots, several teen suicides, and countless other acts of violence.
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About Sandy Hook Promise: Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) is a national nonprofit organization based in Newtown, Connecticut. 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. SHP’s mission is to prevent gun violence and other forms of violence and victimization BEFORE they happen by creating a culture of engaged youth and adults committed to identifying, intervening, and getting help for individuals who might be at risk of hurting themselves or others. SHP is a moderate, above-the-politics organization that supports sensible program and policy solutions that address the “human-side” of gun violence by preventing individuals from ever getting to the point of picking up a firearm to hurt themselves or others. Our words, actions and impact nationwide are intended to honor all victims of gun violence by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation. For more information, visit www.sandyhookpromise.org or call 203-304-9780.