Teacher who helped save children’s lives during Sandy Hook massacre has book deal

NEW YORK, N.Y. – A Connecticut teacher who helped save students’ lives during the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre has a book deal.

G.P. Putnam’s Sons announced Tuesday that “Choosing Hope: Moving Forward from Your Life’s Darkest Hour” by teacher Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis will be released next spring. The publisher says the book will be a “poignant account of personal triumph over unbearable tragedy.” Robin Gaby Fisher is co-writing it.

Roig-DeBellis hurried 15 first-graders into a bathroom upon hearing gunfire at the school in Newtown, Connecticut, on Dec. 14, 2012, saving their lives. The gunman eventually shot himself to death after gunning down his mother, six teachers and 20 children.

Last year, Roig-DeBellis founded Classes 4 Classes, a non-profit that advocates teaching children that all lives are connected.