Sandy Hook Promise’s new PSA is sending a powerful message as many students in the United States are gearing up for the new school year.
This ad, which starts as innocently as any other back-to-school promotional video, is an emotional reminder of what some students have gone through and will continue to go through until change is made.
Sandy Hook Promise, founded in Newton, Connecticut, is an organization that works to unite people against school violence. It is named after Sandy Hook Elementary, where 26 people lost their lives and dozens were injured, in an act of violence in 2012.
The incident at Sandy Hook remains the second-worst of its kind in US history.
Sandy Hook Promise works on several levels, within and outside of the community. They encourage and support mental health programs for students struggling, advocate on both a state and federal level for better laws to protect children, and work on a community level to help deliver training and resources to teachers across the United States.
The video is emotional but starts like any other – with a boy saying how great his new backpack is. It takes a turn for the dark when students are seen running through the halls, crying in bathrooms, and holding back to school supplies as weapons to defend themselves.
The most heart-stopping moment comes just at the end when a student is seen texting her mother “I love you” while hiding in a bathroom stall. Tears run down her face when the door to the bathroom is opened.
In the past ten years, over 350 lives have been lost due to violence in schools at all levels, from elementary to college. At least 177 schools have been witness to this violence.
More and more schools are taking safety measures to help prevent tragic acts like the one depicted in the video.
Many teachers are given personal development days directly dedicated to this very issue, which includes drills (just like a fire drill), safety measures, and what to do and not to do.
Some classrooms are given blinds to pull down that cover their windows in case of an emergency, so at a glance it cannot be seen who is in the classroom. Others are told not to use these because it indicates a full class.
A popular back-to-school accessory this year has been backpacks and inserts made of materials that will stop a high-velocity impact. Within the year, these items have seen a 300% increase in sales.
