Sandy Hook Promise Applauds Federal Increases in STOP School Violence Act Grant Funding

NEWTOWN, Conn., April 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, the federal government opened the application process for funding available for violence prevention training for schools created by the STOP School Violence Act. The Department of Justice's request for proposal encourages more states, school districts, and tribal organizations to apply to bring evidence-based violence prevention programs to more youth nationwide.

Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) applauds the increased funding released for the next cycle grants for Fiscal Year 2019 and issued the following statement:

"We were proud to champion the STOP School Violence Act with our bipartisan leaders in the House and Senate and applaud Congress for increasing funding for these grants to protect more students from violence. We know we can prevent violence in our schools with programs like SHP's Know the Signs, as this critical investment will help states and school districts across the country to train and protect millions more students and stop tragedies before they can happen," said Mark Barden, co-founder and managing director of Sandy Hook Promise and father of Daniel who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy.

The STOP School Violence Act was introduced in January 2018 to scale proven, evidence-based early intervention programming to schools across the country to prevent future school shootings, suicides, and other forms of school violence, based on the research and lessons learned from Sandy Hook and other tragic shootings. The legislation authorizes the Department of Justice to make grants to states for the purposes of training students, school personnel, and law enforcement to identify signs of violence and intervene to prevent people from hurting themselves or others. The legislation also encourages the development and operation of anonymous reporting systems, and formation of school threat assessment and intervention teams to help schools intake and triage threats before tragedy strikes.

About Sandy Hook Promise
Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) is a national nonprofit organization based in Newtown, Connecticut. 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.  SHP's mission is to prevent gun violence and other forms of violence and victimization BEFORE they can happen by creating a culture of engaged youth and adults committed to identifying, intervening, and getting help for individuals who might be at risk of hurting themselves or others.  SHP is a moderate, above-the-politics organization that supports sensible program and policy solutions that address the "human side" of gun violence by preventing individuals from ever getting to the point of picking up a firearm to hurt themselves or others. Our words, actions, and impact nationwide are intended to honor all victims of gun violence by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation. 

Contact: Stephanie Morris, 1-646-650-5005, [email protected]

SOURCE Sandy Hook Promise