(WXMI) — Wednesday marks the 10th anniversary of the horrific shooting that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
On Dec. 14, 2012, a gunman shot and killed 20 first-grade students as well as six adults.
Flags were flown at half-staff in Connecticut Wednesday in honor of the lives taken that day.
A new school has since been constructed in the same where the shooting happened.
The Sandy Hook Promise was founded one month after the shooting. It’s an organization meant to safeguard children from gun violence.
More than 18 million people in the U.S. have participated in the group's programs.
They say about a dozen school shootings have been thwarted.
Survivors continue to urge the U.S. Supreme Court to help bring changes that would prevent similar violence down the line.
“We have a movement that is growing in importance and impact, but there is so much more to be done,” says Sen. Richard Blumenthal. “We need Ethan's Law, safe storage, such as we've done in Connecticut, strengthen red-flag and emergency-risk protection order statute.”
President Joe Biden released the following statement:
"We should have societal guilt for taking too long to deal with this problem. We have a moral obligation to pass and enforce laws that can prevent these things from happening again. We owe it to the courageous, young survivors and to the families who lost part of their soul ten years ago to turn their pain into purpose."
Whether or not Congress passes any legislation, many parents are still concerned about their child's safety in class.
We reached out to a local organization to talk more about one of their programs that's proven to save lives.
The be nice. program is a four-step action plan focused on creating a positive culture, increasing mental health referrals, and increasing behaviors that prevent suicide.
Researchers at Grand Valley State University studied this program over the course of three years at 74 schools across Michigan.
They concluded not only does it create a positive climate amongst peers, but it also inspires an atmosphere that does not tolerate bullying or other negative social behaviors.
The action plan can be broken down into four steps that include: notice, invite, challenge, and empower.
Studies have shown the program is successful in creating mental health awareness, and suicide prevention behaviors.
But that's not all.
“The philosophy behind be nice. when you're a be nice. school, you're going to make sure that the best eight hours of that child's life are going to be from the start when they're getting on a bus to when they're getting off at that bus stop going home,” said Christy Buck, executive director of Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan and founded of the Be Nice program.
Christy added that students play a big role in implementing the program and protecting their fellow classmates.
She encourages all kids to report any potential harm, suspicious behaviors or criminal activities through OK2SAY, a tipline that allows anyone to confidentially report tips.
