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Sandy Hook Promise

In December of 2017, then Sheriff-Elect Errol Toulon, Jr. attended a gala in New York City for the Sandy Hook Promise Organization. There he met with Mark Barden, one of the founders of Sandy Hook Promise and the father of Daniel, one of the young children killed in Sandy Hook Elementary School. Sheriff Toulon was so moved by this organization, that out of something tragic, built a school safety program that empowers students, teachers, and the community to become empowered bystanders. Upon taking office in January 2018, his first community initiative was to partner with Sandy Hook Promise to bring their programming to all Suffolk County schools.
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Sheriff Toulon was an invited speaker at the 2019 Sandy Hook Promise Gala in Washington, DC,

 

Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. talks about what inspired him to join the movement to honor the victims and families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting by preventing more tragedy. Under Sheriff Toulon's leadership, school safety and protecting youth from violence and self-harm is a priority of his work in public office. By partnering with Sandy Hook Promise-- and becoming Promise Leaders, Suffolk's Correction Officers & Deputy Sheriffs are teaching students everywhere to know the signs of someone in distress and to say something to a trusted adult.

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Suffolk County Deputy Sheriffs and Correction Officers are specially trained to teach the Sandy Hook Promise program in schools and for community groups. Learn more about the two programs:

Start with Hello

Start With Hello teaches students to be more socially inclusive and connected to each other. With activities and curricula available for all ages, students are empowered to end social isolation in three easy steps.

  • Step 1: See someone alone. Learn how to recognize the signs of loneliness and social isolation.

  • Step 2: Reach Out And Help. Find out what you can do to help others feel included.

  • Step 3: Start With Hello. Discover how to break the ice and strike up a conversation.

Say Something

The goal of the Say Something Program is to teach students how to look for warning signs, signals, and threats, especially in social media, of an individual who may be a threat to themselves or others and to say something to a trusted adult to get help. We want to teach students to understand and recognize warning signs and threats, how to act immediately, take it seriously, understand strategies to take action, and overcome potential barriers to being an “upstander” rather than a “bystander."  Ultimately, the student is taught to seek out a trusted adult. 

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