School shootings and violence are both a touchy and controversial topic for those who live in the 21st century. With the sudden rise in school shootings, many people have taken it upon themselves to bring attention to this topic.

One such group of people is the non-profit organization Sandy Hook Promise, whose name is derived from Sandy Hook Elementary School, which was unfortunately hit by a school shooting in 2012.

Most members of the group are the parents of the children or are related to family members lost during the Sandy Hook shooting, hence the name. 

According to the Sandy Hook Promise website, “Based in Newtown, Connecticut, our intent is to honor all victims of gun violence by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation by providing programs and practices that protect children and prevent the senseless, tragic loss of life.”

One of their methods of awareness is to put out a yearly PSA that deals with the topic of school shootings. They aim to show that we should be watchful of the warning signs of school shootings and violence.

The video at first begins like a normal back to school commercial usually would, however as it goes on it quickly takes a dark turn as chaos spreads in the school, from a shooting.

The shock value of the video has had mixed reactions.

“It adds (the shock value), in my opinion,”  Palatine teacher Liza Sullivan said. “If it was completely regular it wouldn’t make me think. It makes me want to get other perspectives, other voices.”

The video sheds light on another topic: Do schools need to do more, or do the parents? 

“It’s a community effort, everyone needs to work together,” Sullivan said. “Kids act one way at school and another at home. Collaboration between staff and parents is key to stopping this.”

With 4.6 million youtube views the PSA certainly has got people talking, not only about school shootings and how videos like this handle these topics but also what more we can do to stop these.

“It takes a village to raise a child, that works best here. Everyone needs to give it their all when it comes to the warning signs at home and at school,” said Sullivan.

You can view the PSA here: