September 2007 — News
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Speaking Out
Technology allows students to report high-profile threats without fear of repercussion
Getting students to come forward with information about crimes, threats, and bullying has always been a challenge for Tim Hartfield, chief of police for the Petal School District Police Department in Petal, MS. That was, until the district's middle and high schools implemented an online reporting system that students can use to report their concerns in an anonymous fashion.
"We're finding stuff out now," said Hartfield, who has worked for the school system for 14 years. "Instead of begging for information, it's coming to us. All we have to do is open up an e-mail to find out exactly what's going on in the classrooms, on campus and off campus." And when a serious situation arises, school administrators can access the reporters' identity--a situation that's only arisen once in the last year in Hartfield's district.
Using a system known as "Talk About It" from Oxford, MS-based AnComm that costs just under $3,000 a year to run, the Petal School District has found a way to head off problems that--at some point--could turn into incidents like those that took place in Columbine and Virginia Tech. Whether it's a bullying incident, a concealed weapon in a locker, or an outright threat against a student or faculty member, the concerns are entered in an online form and then routed to the appropriate person for further investigation.
"We get reports on everything from bullying to smoking to depression to possession of a weapon [the latter of which was later found to be an unintentional mistake on the part of the knife-carrying student]," said Hartfield. "Anything you can imagine, we have dealt with it." He said implementing and using the system was easy but points out that inputting the new student roster every year and registering each one so that they can use the system, is time-consuming. "Other than that," said Hartfield, "it has all been pretty effortless."
Putting Tech To Work
Media attention given to both common and high-profile school violence has upped the need for improved reporting systems that students can use without being accused of tattle-taling and effectively putting themselves in even more danger. And while many schools rely on tools like security cameras and metal detectors to keep crime incidences at a minimum, the more common threats like bullying, fighting, stealing, and threatening continue to plague thousands of students every day across the country.
So rather than throwing cash and personnel at unlikely problems that happen to be in the papers at the time, schools are turning to technology to help cut some of the problems off at the pass. To assist, companies like AnComm and SchoolSpan of Warwick RI, have developed online, anonymous reporting tools that administrators set up, and students use, to communicate their concerns over actual and potential crimes and events.
