National ISsue
Keeping Schools Safe
Violence prevention programs train students and educators to recognize warning signs of someone who may hurt themselves or others — and teaches them when and how to get help. The Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund is writing, advocating, and passing policies that ensure all students have access to life-saving trainings to prevent youth violence, suicide, and shootings.
Averting Tragedy
Four out of five school shooters tell someone about their plans ahead of time. And with suicide being the second leading cause of death for youth, it’s more important than ever to take proactive steps.
Sandy Hook Promise’s Know the Signs programs help school communities understand the warning signs and how to intervene. These evidence-informed programs are proven to save lives, including averting multiple credible planned school shootings.
State legislation can help expand the reach of these life-saving programs. Our model school safety legislation, Safety and Violence Education for Students Act (SAVE Students Act), focuses on social inclusion, suicide and violence prevention, student leadership, and anonymous reporting systems. This legislation has already been passed in several states. Iit could make a positive, lasting difference in your state, too.
STOP School Violence Act
In 2018, Sandy Hook Promise helped write and pass the bipartisan Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act to provide critical resources for schools to implement violence prevention education. Under this federal law, school districts, municipalities, states, and tribal organizations can apply for funding to ensure budget is never a barrier to making schools safer.
Current Issues
Model Legislation
Research has proven that we can prevent school violence, shootings, and other harmful acts when we teach youth and adults how to identify at-risk behaviors and intervene to get help. We work to expand access to evidence-based training for all students.
Prevention Program Support
The Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act makes critical funding available to school districts, states, and tribes to implement evidence-informed, early-intervention school programs to prevent violence before a weapon ever enters a school environment.