Hope as a Catalyst for Change: Honoring the 13th Remembrance of the Sandy Hook Tragedy Amid Nationwide Anxiety on School Safety

NEWTOWN, Conn., Dec. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- It's been 13 years since the world was shaken by the terrible events of December 14, 2012, when 26 precious lives – including 20 first-graders – were taken in the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting. In the wake of this unimaginable tragedy, Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) was founded to create a safer future for all children. On this 13th Remembrance, in a time when widespread anxieties about school violence have remained high, SHP seeks to honor the lives that were stolen by sharing a message of hope and change:

• 13 Years of Impact and Hope: On the 13th remembrance of the Sandy Hook tragedy, Sandy Hook Promise is focused on emphasizing that gun violence and school shootings are preventable when we know the signs.
  
  
• Proven Prevention Programs, Reaching Classrooms Nationwide: SHP's Know the Signs programs, which train youth and adults to recognize and act on warning signs of violence or self-harm, have engaged more than 44 million participants since 2014, successfully thwarting at least 19 possible school shootings and preventing more than 1,100 youth suicides. This includes more than 22.2 million participants in the Start with Hello program, which addresses social isolation, and 8.1 million participants in the Say Something program, which teaches the warning signs of potential violence and self-harm. More than 4,700 youth-led SAVE Promise Clubs in elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide are helping students connect and look out for one another.
  
  
• Advancing Advocacy and Legislation on the Federal and State Level: Sandy Hook Promise continues to champion bipartisan policies like the STOP School Violence Act and other state and federal legislation to enhance school safety, youth mental health support, and responsible gun storage practices.
  
  
• A Call to Action and Collective Responsibility: SHP urges communities to take tangible steps in violence prevention efforts, including participating in life-saving programs, advocating for safer policies, and promoting secure firearm storage as part of the December Days of Action initiative.

School shootings and many other acts of violence are being prevented because of collaborative, research-backed, and proactive solutions. While data indicates a potential decline in overall school shooting incidents this year compared to the elevated levels observed in 2021 through 2024, the fear and trauma for parents, educators, and communities remains palpable. A survey conducted earlier this year found that 80% of parents feel the ongoing threat of school violence has moderately or greatly impacted the childhood experience in America, and nearly 40% think about the possibility of a school shooting at their child's school on a weekly or even daily basis.

"13 years ago, our lives were forever changed. Through our pain, and frankly, through our rage in coming to understand just how preventable school shootings really are, we found a steadfast purpose: to empower generations to become upstanders in violence prevention. To equip communities with the knowledge and skills to recognize the warning signs and save lives, so no other family would ever experience the devastation of a school shooting," said Nicole Hockley, co-founder and CEO of Sandy Hook Promise and mother of Dylan who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.

"We don't have to accept school shootings as part of life in America -- there's so much we can do. There are proven, evidence-informed actions that educators, parents, and community leaders can take right now to build safer learning environments for all," Hockley said.

Meeting Today's Challenges

The effectiveness of Sandy Hook Promise's prevention work is grounded in its adaptability, ensuring that programs meet the unique individual needs of schools and communities. The age-appropriate Know the Signs programs provide youth and adults with critical tools to recognize warning signs of potential violence or self-harm and take action to intervene. These programs also help schools create more welcoming environments, addressing social isolation by fostering student connections.

More than 44 million youth and adults have participated in the Know the Signs programs since they were first launched in 2014. This includes more than 22.2 million participants in the Start with Hello program, which addresses social isolation, and 8.1 million participants in the Say Something program, which teaches the warning signs of potential violence and self-harm. And more than 4,700 youth-led SAVE Promise Clubs in elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide are helping students connect and look out for one another.

For parents, educators, and community members seeking tangible steps to strengthen school safety, these programs offer a reliable framework for action. They are available to most schools and youth organizations at no cost. And they are proven to save lives.

Saving Young Lives

More than 9.5 million youth and adults nationwide have been trained to recognize warning signs and report those concerning behaviors via the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System (ARS). This awareness has resulted in more than 356,000 anonymous tips being reported since the ARS was launched in 2018 – with research suggesting more than 90% of tips are submitted by youth. The top five tip types reported in 2025 included Bullying/Cyberbullying, Drug Use/Distribution, Harassment, Cutting/Self-Harm, Suicide/Suicide Ideation.

Because of the ARS and the Say Something training that undergirds it, at least 19 possible school shooting attacks have been averted since 2018. Also, at least 1,096 young lives have been saved from suicide, and more than 6,322 mental health interventions have brought help to students in crisis. The Say Something ARS is the only nonprofit anonymous reporting system that exclusively serves school communities with a National Crisis Center staffed 24/7/365 by highly trained Crisis Counselors.

Advocating for Nonpartisan, Life-Saving Policies

This year, the Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund (SHPAF) continued its track record of successful work to advance bipartisan policies in the areas of safe firearm access, youth mental health, and school safety. These advocacy efforts ensure that proactive prevention remains a priority in legislative efforts, putting the safety of children first.

"Our founding Promise is to protect children, which means advocating daily for policies that prevent the threat of being shot, whether in a classroom, at home, or in the community," said Mark Barden, co-founder of SHP and father of Daniel, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. "Our message to parents, educators, community leaders is clear: whether you own a gun or not, you have the power to protect children from gun violence. Remind your legislators that protecting kids is something everyone believes in. Our kids deserve better from us."

This year at the federal level, amidst a period of national budget cuts, SHPAF and members of SHP's National Youth Advisory Board advocated for continued funding of the Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School Violence Act, more commonly known as the STOP School Violence Act. Members of Congress demonstrated their support for this act by including a level funded investment of $135 million in draft appropriations bills. The SHPAF worked with Republicans and Democrats to write and pass this legislation in 2018 during President Trump's first term.

Also at the federal level, the SHPAF supported the reintroduction of the Preparing Leaders to Assess Needs (PLAN) for School Safety Act (H.R. 2577) in the House of Representatives. Led by Reps. John Rutherford (R-FL) and Joe Neguse (D-CO), this bill will strengthen state-based expert centers, establishing a vital link between district administrators, communities, and state-based professionals.

At the state level, one of the major policy achievements this year was the passage of House Bill 268 in Georgia, which was modeled in part after SHP's Safety and Violence Education for Students Act (SAVE Students Act). This legislation passed with strong bipartisan support roughly six months after the tragic shooting at Apalachee High School in 2024. Under the new law, all Georgia public school students in grades 6 through 12 will receive one hour of suicide and violence prevention training, and Georgia schools will now be required to implement an anonymous reporting system.

Driving Culture Change

Since Sandy Hook tragedy in 2012, the national narrative around gun violence has shifted from inevitable to preventable. The emphasis on proactive measures that stop gun violence has consistently grown since the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, largely due to on-going efforts to elevate warning signs education. For the last decade, Sandy Hook Promise has released public service announcements (PSAs) to help drive awareness that "gun violence is preventable when you know the signs."

This year's PSA, "A Teddy Bear's Dream," depicts a child purchasing a teddy bear from a store. Shown through the bear's eyes, it imagines playful days and happy memories in the child's arms. However, audiences quickly learn this won't be the case, as this bear was instead purchased to be placed at a memorial for a school shooting. In studies that were conducted after the PSA's release, viewers overwhelmingly agreed that the problem is a universal concern. Kids deserve to be kids, and beloved symbols of childhood should never be associated with tragedies. This symbolic story brought people together and reinforced the belief that prevention is the most effective pathway forward.

People across the political spectrum are coming together to advocate for solutions that keep kids safe. Today there are more than 24,000 Promise Leaders from communities in all 50 states. These are volunteers who take grassroots actions in their local areas to end gun violence and support school safety. To read more about the progress SHP made this year to educate and empower youth and adults to prevent violence, please read the 2025 Annual Impact Report.

Know the Signs, Become the Hope

To honor the 13th Remembrance, Sandy Hook Promise urges everyone – youth and adults alike – to take tangible steps to protect their community from gun violence and other acts of harm.

• Start Today: Everyone can take action right now with the December Days of Action Kit, accessible online.
• Encourage and Support: Make The Promise to protect children from gun violence encouraging and supporting solutions that create safer, healthier homes, schools and communities.
• Honor Those Who Have Been Taken: Sign the card in memory of every live killed by gun violence.
• Parents and Caring Adults: Become familiar with the signs of when a person may be in crisis and how to get help when needed. Also, prioritize secure firearm storage as a key step in preventing the misuse of guns.
• Educators and School Administrators: Implement the Know the Signs programs to empower your school community to prevent violence and self-harm.
• Young People: Be an upstander in prevention, rather than a bystander to violence.

Nearly 13 million people have made the Sandy Hook Promise to protect children from gun violence. For more information about ways to take action, spread hope, support life-saving policies in your state, and implement programs that keep kids safe, please visit sandyhookpromise.org.

Note: No interviews or public appearance will be conducted on December 14 and 15, 2025, as Sandy Hook Promise devotes this time to remembering the precious lives taken by gun violence. To assist journalists covering the Remembrance, Sandy Hook Promise has compiled b-roll with additional commentary from our co-founders and additional resources that can be found in the newsroom. For a password to access these online materials, please email [email protected].

Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) envisions a future where all children are free from school shootings and other acts of violence. As a national nonprofit organization, SHP's mission is to educate and empower youth and adults to prevent violence in schools, homes, and communities. Creators of the life-saving, evidence-informed "Know the Signs" prevention programs, SHP teaches the warning signs of someone who may be in crisis, socially isolated, or at-risk of hurting themselves or others and how to get help. SHP also advances school safety, youth mental health, and responsible gun ownership at the state and federal levels through nonpartisan policy and partnerships. 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. 

SOURCE Sandy Hook Promise