School Safety Advocacy Committee
Submit an anonymous tip online | 1-844-723-2729 | Mobile App
In all WCASD schools, we encourage and teach our students to call 911 for emergency situations and to report safety concerns to a trusted adult (at home or in school). However, there may be situations where a student does not feel comfortable talking to an adult.
Safe2Say Something Anonymous Reporting System, developed by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, provides another option for our students and school community to report safety concerns anonymously via the S2SS mobile app, website, or crisis hotline.
Additionally, the Safe2Say Something Program teaches our students how to recognize warning signs, signals and threats and the importance of reporting these concerns immediately to prevent violence and tragedies.
- What is the problem?
- What is the Solution?
- The Facts and The Reasons
- How it Works
- How is the Program Sustained
- See it. Report It.
- Safe 2 Say Something FAQ
What is the problem?
Each year in schools and communities across the United States, there are millions of youth who hurt themselves or others through verbal, physical and digital means. These behaviors can cause youth to experience emotional trauma and physical injury, mental health or wellness issues, stress or anxiety, and/or feelings of being unsafe. Too often the outcome results in self-harm, suicide or homicide.
21%
of high school students are bullied on school property in Pennsylvania each year.
What is the Solution?
The Safe2Say Something Anonymous Reporting System teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals - especially within social media - of individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and say something BEFORE it is too late.
Provides an opp, website, and 24/7 crisis telephone hotline for youth and adults to submit anonymous tips Provides training on how to recognize the signs and signals of at-risk behaviors - especially within social media Works to take every sign and signal seriously; act quickly to get help by talking to a trusted adult.
The Facts and The Reasons
The Facts
In a majority of these acts, youth and adults are witnesses to threats, warning signs, or signals, especially on social media, but do not report or intervene to help the at-risk youth. In fact:
• Approximately, 1 million U.S. students reported being harassed, threatened or subject to other forms of cyberbullying.
• 80% of school shooters told someone of their violent plans. 59% told more than one person.
• 70% of people who complete suicide tell someone of their plans or give some other warning sign.
• A national study found that 37% of threats of violence, bullying, etc. were sent electronically and 28% used social media.
The Reasons
There are many reasons why youth and adults do not say something when they see a warning sign or signal. They do not:
• Understand or know how to recognize warning signs and signals of at-risk behavior.
• Believe a threat to be true because "they would never say it publicly if they meant it".
• Want to be labeled, stigmatized, possibly physically threatened as a "snitch".
• Know who to tell or "believe that nothing will be done to help anyhow".
• Think they need to because someone else will say something.
How it Works
| How it Works? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 |
|
Submit an Anonymous Tip 24/7 Using the App, Website or Phone. 1-844-SAF2SAY844.723.2729 Use the Website www.safe2saypa.org Use the mobile App
|
All calls and tips received 1
A crisis center analyst 2
The tip is triaged and 3
The tip is then sent to |
School officials & law 1
School officials and law enforcement (as needed) act immediately to investigate, 2
At-risk individuals receive 3
School officials report their outcomes into the Safe2Say Something platform and close out the tip, ensuring accountability for every tip submitted |
How is the Program Sustained
17.3%
of high school students are bullied on school property in Pennsylvania each year.
• Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) Promise Club or existing student club by embedding Safe2Say Something in the club in order to empower students to carry it forward and keep awareness high within schools.
• On-going support, refresher trainings and call-to-action weeks to rally school personnel and student clubs around the Safe2Say Something program.
• No cost, in-school awareness materials, posters, table tops, etc. to remind students of the app, website, and 24/7-telephone hotline.
See it. Report It.
Why Safe2Say Something will be successful...
1
Educating students, educators and administrators how to recognize the signs and signals of individuals who may be at-risk of hurting themselves or others.
2
Intervening days, months, and years before a tragedy could ever take place, truly driving prevention.
3
Fostering a connected, "up-stander" culture where at-risk students are getting help.
4
Reducing violence, suicide, self-harm, bullying, drug use and other at-risk behaviors and actions.
5
Reducing suspensions, tardiness, absenteeism, damages. and trauma ... creating safer and healthier schools.
Safe 2 Say Something FAQ
What is the Safe2Say Something Program?
Safe2Say Something (S2SS) is a youth violence prevention program run by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. The program teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and to “say something” BEFORE it is too late.
In 2018, the General Assembly passed Act 44 mandating the establishment and use of the “Safe2Say Something” (S2SS) anonymous reporting system by every Pennsylvania school entity by January 14, 2019.
S2SS is a life-saving and changing school safety program that teaches students, educators, and administrators how: (1) to recognize the signs and signals of individuals who may be at risk of hurting themselves or others and (2) to anonymously report this information through the S2SS app, website, or 24/7 Crisis Center Hotline. The following provides an overview of how the program works and will be implemented in schools:
S2SS works through 5 easy steps:
1. A tip is submitted via mobile app, website, or by calling the PA based 24/7 Crisis Center.
2. The tip is then triaged by the Crisis Center to gather enough information to act on it.
3. The tip is delivered to the impacted school and, as needed, local law enforcement via 911 County Dispatch.
4. The school and, as needed, local law enforcement assess and intervene with the at-risk individual.
5. The school then closes out the tip and reports actions taken as a record for their school.
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has established S2SS and will manage and maintain the program. The OAG, in partnership with Sandy Hook Promise – a leader in anonymous reporting systems, built the app, website and PA-based 24/7 Crisis Center platform.OAG Crisis Center analysts are being trained to receive and triage tips to: (1) ensure there is enough information to act upon, (2) conduct 2-way anonymous dialog with tipsters to gather missing information, (3) categorize the tip into life-safety or non-life safety for ease of prioritization by recipients, and (4) deliver the tip to the impacted school and, where needed, its local law enforcement via 911 County Dispatch.
The S2SS platform allows the official users (Crisis Center analysts, school entities and 911 County Dispatch) to view and act against tips using their PC or mobile device. Additionally, the platform allows for real-time 2-way dialog with a tipster and the viewing and sharing of attachments (such as screen shots and videos) that a tipster has submitted. The platform permits communication between the official users on each tip, allowing for up to the second information sharing and action that all see and read at the same time – as one of the MOST critical pieces of information needed for a life safety issue is a child’s address. This address must be passed to 911 Dispatch to pass to the local jurisdiction to act upon. This exchange can take seconds helping to act quicker to save lives.
Is participation in the Safe2Say mandated by law?
The Safe2Say Something program is state mandated by Act 44 of 2018 and requires all K-12 schools, school districts, charter schools, private schools, cyber charter schools, private schools, nonpublic schools, intermediate units, and area vocational-technical schools operating in Pennsylvania to participate.
How is this program funded?
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is funding the Crisis Center and its operations through Office of Attorney General and Sandy Hook Promise is funding training and education. There is no cost to school entities, dispatch and/or individuals who download and utilize the program.
Who Can Use the Safe2Say Anonymous Reporting System?
All students as well as their parents, staff, and other community members can use the anonymous reporting system. All students, grades 6-12, receive S2SS training to recognize warning signs, signals and threats and how to report a safety concern.
If I make a report, how can I be assured that reporting is anonymous?
The Say Something Anonymous Reporting System (SS-ARS) is extremely comprehensive in protecting the identity of tipsters - people who make reports to the crisis center. The system utilizes multiple external anonymous gateways to block IP addresses/phone numbers, and all phone calls received in the Crisis Center are blocked using a sophisticated multiple-level blocking system.
The Attorney General's Office will NOT allow the anonymity of any tipster to be revealed without a court-ordered search warrant OR when there is a first-person reporting where or when the loss of life is imminent, anonymity will be uncovered as quickly as possible. Be aware that they cannot guarantee that anonymity can be uncovered, especially 72 hours or more after a tip has been received, given the use of external gateways, challenges in tracking IP addresses, and possible use of public devices by a tipster.
How do parents find out that their child is in crisis or at risk to self or others? Does the call center reach out to them? How do they find out parent/student information?
There are two methods in which a parent may be informed that their child is in crisis and/or at risk to self or others – one or all approaches could be used for a given situation:
1. School officials: All life-safety tips are provided to the school district to act upon. Therefore, a school official who receives and acts upon a tip could contact parents/guardians per school policy and protocols.
2. Local Police: All life-safety tips are provided to local police to act upon. Therefore, in the event that police are either directly reaching out to a student (especially in an emergency) or working with the school district, contact could be made with a parent or guardian. The most likely scenario is through visiting an at-risk child in their home or post an emergency intervention. As a reminder, the school district is always informed of life-safety tips in order to work with local police.