Sandy Hook Mom Encourages Parents to Sign 'School Heroes' Card

In an open letter sent through Sandy Hook Promise, Nicole Hockley Nicole asks parents to thank ”school heroes.” Nicole is the mother of Dylan Hockley, a Sandy Hook student who passed away in the school shootings on Dec. 14, 2012.

Nicole’s Letter:

If your social media feed looks anything like mine, it’s a joyful loop of first-day-of-school photos filled with brand-new backpacks, excited smiles and loving parents’ attempts to outsmart time – to capture the once-a-year moment when our children still feel like our “babies.”

Last year, for the first time ever, I didn’t take a first-day picture. Even though it pained me to know I wouldn’t have a photo of Jake’s first day of fourth grade, the act of recording him heading off to school without Dylan would have been even more painful.

Sending Jake back to school after Dylan’s death at Sandy Hook Elementary was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do – and I was only able to do it because I knew with every fiber of my being that the school professionals with whom I entrusted Jake’s safety would protect him with their lives if necessary. These capable, caring professionals who ensure our children come home to us healthy, a little wiser and well loved can only be described in one way: Heroes.

As all of our precious children head back to school, I hope you’ll join me in signing a card thanking our school heroes and promising to work together every day to keep our children safe. Please, take a moment and show these heroes your support and love.

Click here to sign our School Heroes card – and then be sure to pass it on to your family and friends to sign, too. Let’s send a message of love and support to the courageous and committed people who look after our children’s minds and guard their safety each and every day.

I’m lucky to have seen the selfless bravery of such heroes – from Dylan’s extraordinary special-education assistant, Anne Marie Murphy, who died trying to protect him, and from Jake’s teacher Mrs. Connie Sullivan, who not only kept Jake safe during the barrage of 154 bullets but courageously returned to school to comfort him in the days and months that followed.

Parents across the country have told me that their feelings about the return to school – once a familiar mix of sadness and relief – now include a new, unwelcome sense of fear. It’s completely understandable – last year, we saw 50 gun-related incidences on school campuses, an average of more than one a week during the school year.

Whether you know it or not, there are Mrs. Murphys and Mrs. Sullivans in all our schools. They’re the real-life heroes – the teachers and principals, janitors and bus drivers, nurses and administrators – who teach, nurture and protect our children every day. Please, take a moment and sign our card for them now.

Click here to thank all of our school heroes now. Together, we can make sure our school teachers, administrators and personnel know we appreciate everything they do – not just on the first day of school, but every day.

Thank you so much for taking a moment from your own back-to-school traditions to thank those who’ll make a safe return possible. Together, we can continue to watch our beautiful children grow – through smiling photos, special memories and heroic, wholehearted love.

With love,

Nicole Hockley (Dylan’s mom)

To donate to Sandy Hook Promise to help build safer communities, click here.

Photo: Dylan and Jake Hockley. Credit: Nicole Hockley, Sandy Hook Promise