• by Fern Siegel , March 10, 2025

Gun violence in schools is escalating.

There were more than 320 incidents when a gun was brandished or fired on school grounds in 2024, the second-highest year for school gun violence ever recorded, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database.

Sandy Hook Promise, the nonprofit founded by parents whose children were killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, have taken action to increase visibility of an ongoing tragedy.

Its latest PSA, “A Teddy Bear’s Dream,” created by BBDO New York, launches today on “Good Morning America.”

The spot underscores that kids deserve to be kids. Teddy bears should be a part of childhood, not memorials for murdered children. More than 60,000 bears were sent to the Newtown, Connecticut, community after 20 children and six adults were killed.

The ad also runs online, in print and OOH. The message: When we know the signs, school shootings are preventable. The PSA ends with multiple real-life images of teddy bears placed at shrines of past U.S. school shootings — from Margery Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, to Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

Parents are also plagued by the constant threat to their children. Some 80% feel potential school violence has impacted childhood in America, while nearly 40% worry about their child’s safety on a daily or weekly basis.

Elizabeth Maini, senior vice president/account director, BBDO, told Agency Daily: "Doing this work is the easiest 'yes' at BBDO because we see firsthand the impact it's make over the years. Just a few weeks ago, Sandy Hook Promise prevented another school schooling in Indiana. It's really life-changing work, and we're lucky to be a part of it."