HHS Among Schools Participating in AG Healey’s Anti-Violence Program

Attorney General Maura Healey during an earlier appearance at Haverhill High School.

Haverhill High School is among several high schools across the Merrimack Valley taking part in a new anti-violence program co-funded by Attorney General Maura Healey’s office and the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation.

Haverhill High, as well as Methuen High School; Greater Lawrence Technical High School, Andover; Triton Regional High School, Newbury; and Newburyport High School, have been selected, among others, to participate. Healey made the announcement Monday during a visit to Greater Lowell Technical High School.

“One in three young people has experienced physical, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse in a relationship. At the high school level, we have a unique opportunity to disrupt that cycle,” Healey said. “Thanks to the leadership and support of Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, students in a diverse range of schools and communities will be empowered to play an active role in preventing violence.”

Other area schools selected for the program include Lawrence High School, Amesbury High School.

“Game Change: The Patriots Anti-Violence Partnership” will train 196 school personnel at six regional trainings across Massachusetts. The trainings will be conducted by Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP), a group called “a nationwide leader in addressing violence prevention.”

“Run by the Center for Sport in Society at Northeastern University, MVP uses a sports-themed curriculum and employs collegiate athletes and former professional athletes as trainers,” according to a spokesperson.

In the second phase of the program, to begin in the fall, MVP will also provide more in-depth trainings to 30 high schools in partnership with local domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy organizations. The organizations will help train school staff and parents and work with school administrators on policies and services for students and families dealing with violence.

Students from each of those schools will also be trained to become peer leaders who can teach younger students about healthy relationships and bystander intervention, according to a statement.