Sandy Hook Promise is asking viewers to “see the signs and stop a shooting before it happens” in a new public service announcement depicting a day in the life of a student from his point-of-view before he carries out a school shooting.
Dec. 14 will mark the six-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that claimed the lives of 20 children and six adults. The tragedy led to the creation of Sandy Hook Promise, a non-profit group founded by several victims’ family members.
The new PSA, titled “Point of View”, portrays what seems like an average day at a high school, but later becomes apparent that it is from the point-of-view of a student who is both ignored and bullied.
As the video nears the end, the student walks toward the entrance of the school’s auditorium and unzips a black duffel bag containing an assault rifle. He then walks through the auditorium doors with the gun and yells, “Look at me!” to the dozens of students waiting for a school election to start.
The video concludes with the message, “Most people only notice a shooter once it’s too late. See the signs and stop the shooting before it happens.”
The PSA is part of the organization’s “Know the Signs” Violence Prevention Program, a no-cost program on “how to identify, intervene and get help for individuals BEFORE they hurt themselves or others,” according to its website.
The group has released several PSA videos as part of the program. Each video shows a school shooting from a different perspective.
Last year, the group released a video portraying a local news broadcast about a school shooting that will happen tomorrow.
In 2016, the group released a video depicting a student who is searching for a mystery girl at his high school, but less noticeable is the troubling behavior displayed by a student in the background.
Sandy Hook Promise Offers Several “Know the Signs” Programs
Since its formation, Sandy Hook Promise has put together four different researched-based programs on spotting warning signs and the next steps that should be taken by both students and faculty.
The first program, titled “Say Something”, is aimed at students in grades 6-12 and teaches them how to recognize signs, particularly those on social media, of someone who may be a threat to themselves or others.
The second, called “Start with Hello”, is intended for students in grades 2-12 to practice social inclusion and community connectedness.
The third program, named “Signs of Suicide”, includes a curriculum to teach students to recognize the symptoms of depression and suicide. It also includes a mental health self-assessment that screens each student for depression and suicide.
The final program, titled “Safety Assessment & Intervention”, is aimed at multidisciplinary teams within a school district and teaches them how to identify, assess and respond to threats of violence or at-risk behavior.
If you are interested in implementing any of these free programs in your school or school district, email [email protected].
This toolkit also includes testimonials from administrators who have executed these programs at their school.
