LAPS Superintendent Jennifer Guy
By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com
“I would feel less safe as a district without this ‘See Something Say Something’ app.” –LAPS Superintendent Jennifer Guy
When longtime educator Jennifer Guy became superintendent at Los Alamos Public Schools (LAPS), she recalled the issue she lost the most sleep over – worrying that a troubled or worried student would call the school after 5 p.m. and there would be no one there to answer that call.
Thankfully, former District Safety Director Susan Fellows discovered an anonymous reporting system – provided at no cost through Sandy Hook Promise – that was answered by trained professionals “24/7/365”.
Superintendent Guy and Sandy Hook Promise Leader Steve Renfro of White Rock spoke with the Los Alamos Daily Post recently about the program behind that app and the overall importance of teaching empathy and empowering students. Guy explained that the program is being taught in kindergarten through 12th grade at LAPS, empowering students to help end social isolation. Through this program, students are learning how to recognize the signs of loneliness, what they can do to help others feel included and how to break the ice and strike up a conversation.
Sandy Hook Promise created the training and shares it at no cost with LAPS and more than 23,000 schools across the nation. This national nonprofit organization is based in Newtown, Conn., and was founded and is led by several family members whose loved ones were killed during a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012. Mark Barden, co-founder and CEO of Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund, is the father of Daniel who was killed in that shooting. Nicole Hockley, co-founder and CEO of Sandy Hook Promise Foundation, is the mother of Dylan, who was also killed in the shooting.
“LAPS began using the ‘Say Something’ app in 2018 and we have received over 800 tips,” Guy said, adding that those tips include students feeling suicidal, seeing or experiencing bullying or threat incidents and also calls from students just feeling lonely or sad.
Sandy Hook Promise counselors are in contact with LAPS counselors, School Resource Officers (SRO) and Police Dispatch staff – all trained by the Sandy Hook Promise program. Any calls that come in after 5 p.m. deemed an imminent threat are shared with LAPD dispatch.
Superintendent Guy said LAPS counselors receive 30-50 tips per month and she wants students to know that the system truly is anonymous.
Los Alamos Police Sgt. Chris Ross oversees the School Resource Officers at the schools. He addressed the “Say Something” app and its positive impact within the local schools.
Sgt. Chris Ross
“Los Alamos Police Department and Los Alamos Public Schools collaborated on implementing from Sandy Hook Promise, the ‘Say Something’ anonymous reporting system for the school community a few years ago. Within a few months of activating the system, the benefits of it became obvious,” Sgt. Chris Ross said. “Someone had reported a friend in a mental health crisis late at night. Los Alamos Dispatch Center received a call from the ‘See Something Say Something’ call center, and they dispatched an officer to the residence. LAPD officers made contact with the student, and provided them with the immediate crisis intervention assistance they needed. I truly believe without this system and ability to respond to the individual in crisis 24-hours a day, there might have been another youth tragedy for the family and community to endure.”
Sgt. Ross added that over the years, the system has provide LAPD an opportunity to avert school threats, violence, people in crisis and drug use on a regular basis.
“‘Say Something’ provides students, staff and parents the ability to strengthen the safety and security of the schools and community on their own,” he said.
Superintendent Guy agreed saying she hasn’t seen anything better than the Sandy Hook Promise anonymous reporting app.
“It’s such a strong and reliable system,” she said. “Also it allows us to gather data … we can see if there are multiple incidents with a particular student … I would feel less safe as a district without this app.”
Link for anonymous reporting: https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/our-programs/say-something-anonymous-reporting-system/
Promise Leader Steve Renfro
Renfro is recently retired from Los Alamos National Laboratory and as a Sandy Hook Promise Leader for New Mexico, he is given monthly tasks to support legislation, reach out to legislators or give talks to organizations. This month’s push was to get educators involved in “Start with Hello Week” held last week. LAPS has been doing this program as are a few other Northern New Mexico districts. Renfro’s role is to assist, educate, and expand the program as part of an overall campaign.
“I got involved in 2021 pretty much on the day I retired,” he said. “Sandy Hook Promise is dedicated to ending violence in schools. Lobbying states to pass common sense laws, or actually enforce those on the books is something we pay attention to. The State of New Mexico recently passed a law that guns should be secured in a way that makes sense.”
He explained that Sandy Hook Promise is focused on increasing school safety across the country with well researched programs that the organization makes available at no cost to any district.
“Nobody should be afraid to go to school … that has been a recurring theme with Sandy Hook Promise … it’s not okay to be afraid,” Renfro said.
10 Critical Warning Signs of Violence
Sandy Hook Promise has compiled a list of 10 potential warning signs* that can signal an individual may be in crisis or need of help:
Suddenly withdrawing from friends, family and activities (including online or via social media).
Bullying, especially if targeted towards differences in race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.
Excessive irritability, lack of patience, or becoming angry quickly.
Experiencing chronic loneliness or social isolation.
Expressing persistent thoughts of harming themselves or someone else.
Making direct threats toward a place, another person, or themselves.
Bragging about access to guns or weapons.
Recruiting accomplices or audiences for an attack.
Directly expressing a threat as a plan.
Cruelty to animals.
*NOTE: This isn’t a complete list of all warning signs. Exhibiting one of these signs doesn’t necessarily indicate imminent violence. When concerned about troubling behaviors, tell a trusted adult or call 911 if there is an immediate threat.
“Start with Hello Week”
LAPS has also embraced the Sandy Hook Promise program “Start with Hello Week” – which this year coincided with Homecoming Week (Sept. 18-22). Students are encouraged to connect with others (starting with “hello”), and also to reach out to someone who looks lonely or sad (starting with “hello”).
Aspen School Counselor Kimberly Pulliam
Aspen Elementary School Counselor Kimberly Pulliam is an enthusiastic supporter of this program.
“I love seeing and hearing the excitement that “Start with Hello Week” promotes among our students for making new friends and forming new connections,” Pulliam said. “Even more encouraging to me is hearing how this “Hello Week” helps our students to embrace the idea of making sure that other students don’t feel left-out and lonely. Students become more aware of how important it is for them to show others that they are seen and cared for. It’s exciting for me to witness young children learning this idea and embracing it, and it’s exciting for me to witness older children learning this lesson at a deeper level and living-it-out in their own lives.”
Sandy Hook Promise Mission
The mission of Sandy Hook Promise is to educate and empower youth and adults to prevent violence in schools, homes, and communities. Through our proven, evidence-informed Know the Signs programs and sensible, bipartisan school and gun safety legislation, we teach young people and adults to recognize, intervene, and get help for individuals who may be socially isolated and/or at risk of hurting themselves or others.
“Sandy Hook Promise envisions a future where children are free from shootings and acts of violence in their schools, homes, and communities.”
To learn more, visit www.sandyhookpromise.org.
