A school safety program designed to help students recognize warning signs and report concerns is expanding its reach across Arizona.
Sandy Hook Promise reported it has now reached more than 281,000 students at 573 schools statewide.
Representatives from Sandy Hook Promise outlined the organization's prevention programs and Arizona partnerships Monday during a presentation to the Arizona State Board of Education.
The organization, founded by family members whose children and family members were killed in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, focuses on recognizing social isolation and warning signs of violence or self-harm as well as teaching students how to seek help.
“At the heart of our work is prevention,” said Christina Garza, senior director of state and strategic partnerships. “We give youth and adults the knowledge and skills to recognize when something isn't right, trust that instinct and do what we need to do next, which is reach out and get someone help.”
Through a partnership with the ADE, schools and districts can access implementation workshops for Sandy Hook Promise's Start With Hello and Say Something programs. The organization also has a three-year partnership with BASIS Charter Schools that brings its Say Something Anonymous Reporting System to 24 schools serving more than 18,000 students.
The system allows students and adults to anonymously submit concerns to a national crisis center staffed around the clock.
Jessica Jackson, Sandy Hook Promise's national crisis center director, said the system has received more than 400,000 tips nationwide and led to more than 8,000 mental health interventions. The organization has documented more than 1,300 interventions involving students who were actively suicidal or had attempted suicide. It also credits the system with helping to prevent 20 potential school shootings.
Arizona schools are also using the programs in different ways. Garza said Tempe schools have incorporated Safe Promise Clubs and youth specialists into prevention efforts, while Chandler Unified School District has provided trusted-adult training to school nurses.
In Cochise County, where the Safe Voice Cochise reporting system recently launched, Jackson said a student submitted a concern about a friend experiencing emotional distress and suicidal thoughts just three days after training. School officials found the student, conducted an assessment and connected the student and family with mental health resources.
State Board member Jacqui Clay, Cochise County school superintendent, said student involvement is critical.
“This has to be student-led,” Clay said. “They need their peers. So you've got to get these kids involved with promoting this, understanding it and then being there for the other kids.”
Board members also asked about the cost to schools as districts balance spending for school resource officers, safety personnel and mental health services.
Garza said Sandy Hook Promise relies on donors, corporate sponsors, philanthropy and grants to provide its prevention programs without directly charging participating schools or districts.
“Our mission continues to ensure that we can deliver these resources to the best of our ability at no direct cost to schools or districts,” she said.
The presentation was informational and the board took no action.
Editor’s note: A grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation made this story possible. The foundation awarded 15 newsrooms to pay for solutions-focused education reporters for two years. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
Meet Stacy Stacy Mantle is joining the team at Independent Newsmedia, Inc. as an Education Solutions journalist, thanks to a grant from the Arizona Community Collaborative. She has a long history in education that ranges from teaching junior high and middle school to developing curriculum and standards-based assessments.
Community: A longtime advocate for animal welfare, Stacy is deeply involved in rescue efforts and volunteers with several nonprofit organizations.
Random Fact: Once upon a time, she shared her home with a pet coyote and two wolf hybrids. The experiences were wild enough to become the subject of her first book!
Education: She holds a BA in English with a minor in Political Science, a Post-baccalaureate in Secondary Education, and an MBA with a emphasis on Marketing.
Hobbies: In her spare time, Stacy writes fast-paced urban fantasy novels, crafts small-batch artisan soap, and is always up for hiking or off-roading through the Arizona wilderness with her husband of 23 years.
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