Framingham Schools To Use Sandy Hook Promise Program

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Following a visit last week from Attorney General Maura Healey and a co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise, Framingham schools will implement a new anti-violence program in city schools.

Sandy Hook Promise was founded in Newtown, Conn., following the 2012 massacre there. The program aims to reduce social isolation, trains students how to recognize social media threats, and teaches students how to recognize suicidal behavior.

In Framingham, schools will start Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) clubs. Sandy Hook Promise and the attorney general's office will support the clubs.

Students at Framingham High School, and Cameron, Fuller, and Walsh middle schools will or already have undergone training in the "Start With Hello" program, which is Sandy Hook Promise's signature program to deal with social isolation. In the Start With Hello program, students reach out to students who appear to be alone or lonely — they are taught to literally start by saying hello.

"It was a wonderful opportunity to have Attorney General Maura Healey visit with our students at Framingham High School and to talk candidly about the challenges that our teens face," said Framingham Superintendent Dr. Tremblay of Healy's Nov. 13 visit. "The Attorney General continues to be incredibly accessible to all of her constituents and we appreciate her genuine interest in helping our students."