Press Release  AG Healey Highlights Trainings at Massachusetts Schools During Sandy Hook Promise’s ‘Say Something’ Week

BOSTON — Today, in recognition of students nationwide participating in Say Something Week, an initiative led by Sandy Hook Promise and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Attorney General Maura Healey is highlighting schools across Massachusetts who have been trained to recognize the warning signs of those who may be at risk of harming themselves or others, and how to get help.

Through the $1 million federal STOP School Violence Act grant, the AG’s Office brought the Say Something program to middle and high schools across the state. To date, more than 45,000 students have received the training, and 100 schools have participated, with the participation rates to increase as the program continues.   

“Alongside key partners like Sandy Hook Promise and with the resources from our STOP School Violence Act grant, we’ve worked over the past four years to help Massachusetts students learn and grow in environments without violence,” said AG Healey. “The mental health training, suicide prevention, and school-based violence prevention programs made possible by the grant continue to teach our students about effective strategies to promote mental health and prevent violence in our schools and communities.”

Say Something is a violence prevention program from Sandy Hook Promise that teaches students the warning signs of potential violence and self-harm and to tell a trusted adult. The research-informed program has been proven to have prevented multiple school shootings, hundreds of youth suicides, and countless acts of violence.

Students across Massachusetts are participating in Say Something Week, a national call-to-action campaign during which students create fun and exciting school-wide activities that reinforce the warning signs and celebrate student “upstanders” who look out for one another to keep schools safe.

“Sandy Hook Promise has been honored to work with Attorney General Maura Healey and her team to bring these life-saving programs to middle and high school students across the state,” said Mark Barden, Co-founder and CEO of the Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund and father of Daniel, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. “Students are often the first ones to see the warning signs or outright threats of violence, especially through social media. By empowering Massachusetts students with knowledge of the warning signs and how to speak up when seeing them, young lives are being saved every day, and students are getting the help they need.”

Since 2018, the Massachusetts STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training grant has supported Sandy Hook Promise trainings and events at over 200 schools throughout the state. Three schools that exemplify the student leadership and organizing efforts built through this program are:

• Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School completed several Sandy Hook Promise violence and suicide prevention trainings between 2019 and 2021. The school also boasts an active and engaged student SAVE Promise Club and is conducting a series of events to celebrate Say Something Week. Two schools in the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional district participate in Sandy Hook Promise programs.
• Putnam Vocational Technical Academy in Springfield completed several Sandy Hook Promise violence and suicide prevention trainings between 2019 and 2021. In addition, Putnam students attended the National Start With Hello Virtual Pep Rally last year and participated in a student leadership conference focusing on kindness and service. Students have taken on schoolwide campaigns on topics such as kindness, anti-bullying, and self-acceptance. They have collected donations, including clothing and food, and given them to organizations supporting unhoused persons. Sandy Hook Promise is working with a total of 11 Springfield schools.
• South High School in Worcester completed several Sandy Hook Promise violence and suicide prevention trainings in 2021 and 2022. South High School hosted a Wellness Week last week in collaboration with the Herren Project to celebrate wellness and its importance to substance use prevention and recovery. A total of 15 Worcester public schools work with Sandy Hook Promise.

The AG’s Office was awarded funding for this program through the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance’s School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, which provides funding to implement training and education on preventing violence and effectively responding to related mental health crises.

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, please call one of the 24-hour crisis hotline numbers below right away:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
NSPL is available 24/7 via phone and chat and has a dial prompt for the Veterans Crisis Line as well as a Spanish line.

Trevor Lifeline for LGBTQ Youth: 1-866-488-7386 | text 678-678
Services are available 24/7/365, nationwide, and are 100% free & confidential. Options to text or chat online are also available.

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