Program designed by mother of Sandy Hook victim to be used in Warren County
WARREN COUNTY, N.Y. (WRGB) - A program designed by the mother of a child killed in the Sandy Hook school shooting will be implemented in Warren County.
It’s a proactive stance to work hand in hand with current school resource officers.
Nurturing, healing, love.
Those are the words Scarlett Lewis says her son Jesse left on a kitchen chalkboard just before he was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in 2012.
She says she only found his message when she went to get his clothes for the funeral. She had been staying at her mom's house. She says the words served as a directive for her.
“I knew that if the shooter had been able to give and receive nurturing, healing, [and] love that the tragedy would have never happened. And I knew that I’d be spending the rest of my life spreading this message,” said Lewis.
That message will now be implemented in the Hadley-Luzerne Central School District. Beecher Baker is Superintendent.
"What this does is offer the student choices. We are all dealt different hands in life and when you are dealt those hands, how are you going to react? And this works with the student in showing them how they should react, what are proper ways to react,” says Baker.
Warren County Sheriff Bud York says he’d like to see his every school implement the “Choose Love Movement.”
“I’m going to see if it’s something my School Resource Officers can help, because a lot of the schools in Warren County, our SRO’s are really respected by the younger ones, they look up the them,” said Sheriff York.
It’s a free program designed by Lewis that schools can download that is based on Jesse’s message: Nurturing, Healing, Love.
"Four character values and everything is taught under these four character values and they are: courage plus gratitude plus forgiveness plus compassion and action equals choosing love,” said Lewis.
It’s considered “social emotional training” to help a child before he gets to the point of doing harm.
Superintendent Baker says he believes the program falls along with what the State Education Department says is mental health curriculum and he is going to implement is kindergarten through 12th grade.
