A lesson plan designed by a Newtown, Connecticut-based advocacy group to prevent school shootings will be part of school curricula in ten states starting this week.
The plan comes from Sandy Hook Promise, the group that was founded after the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Mark Barden, co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise and the father of Daniel Barden, who was killed in the shooting, says the group is working with school districts to teach the early warning signs that could lead to school shootings, like bullying or isolation.
“We train kids how to look for at-risk behavior – language, mostly in social media, but it also could be in the lunch room or the school bus – and to recognize that behavior and take the next step to connect that person to a trusted adult.”
The lesson plan is funded by a federal anti-school violence program signed into law in March. Ten states, including Connecticut and New York, are working directly with Sandy Hook Promise to bring the plan to public school students.
