Sandy Hook Promise program already working in local school

Students at Pleasant Run Middle School have first-hand knowledge that if students “Say Something,” it can have an impact.

“Say Something,” developed by Sandy Hook Promise, trains students in grades six to 12 to recognize warning signs, signals and threats from friends or individuals who may want to hurt themselves or others, and intervene by talking to a trusted adult to get help. Last week, students at Pleasant Run Middle School had assemblies and training in the program, and identified trusted adults to whom they could talk if they saw or heard something that might be a warning sign.

It was already paying dividends before the entire school was involved. One of the school’s student leaders training for the “Say Something” program went to her counselor in early October with a threat she heard in the hallway, and after investigation, a student was arrested for inducing panic.

School resource officer Dean Doerflein said the alleged threats were overhead by several other students. Police went to the school the day after to investigate the threats.

“These threats were talked about by students, and caused some panic on the part of students and parents,” Doerflein said. “Some parents called the school, and others brought students late because of the threat of violence against the school.”

Doerflein said students were not in danger, and there was no live or active threat to students, and investigation showed there was no plan to harm anyone in the building.

He said all reported threats are investigated, and when the student who allegedly made the threats was not at school Oct. 9, police went to her Colerain Township home to follow up. She was taken from her home to the Hamilton County Juvenile Detentions Center charged with inducing panic.

A press release from the Sandy Hook Promise group quoted a counselor as saying “I never imagined how immediately Say Something would become relevant in our school,” said a middle school guidance counselor in Cincinnati. “Because I had been trained in ‘Say Something,’ I knew how to deal with this risk. ‘Say Something’ demonstrates the important role young people play in looking out for each other and in being the ears and eyes of their school.

“It also demonstrates why it is so important to listen to young people who come to us for help.”

Sandy Hook declined to identify the counselor citing confidentiality issues. School officials said they could not comment on the press release, as it was not generated by the district, but said the programs are valuable for staff and students.

“We were fortunate that the Sandy Hook Promise people visited our district at the end of last school year and provided some training to 85 of our students and adult staff from all five of our secondary schools, said district spokeswoman Pauletta Crowley.

“Our middle and high schools are implementing the Sandy Hook Programs at various levels to help those students who are isolated feel a part of the group, and also to ‘Say Something’ when they hear that a student may want to harm themselves or others. We have our counselors to thank for implementing these programs.”