CMS rolling out ‘Say Something’ school safety app for anonymous tips
Students in Charlotte-area schools are training on a reporting system this week that allows them to submit anonymous safety concerns.
The “Say Something” Anonymous Reporting System rolls out for grades 6-12 in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools beginning Tuesday through Feb. 4, at which time it will be considered launched in all of the district’s middle, high and K-8 schools.
School leaders said the program is designed to help prevent violence in schools, homes and communities by educating students and adults on how to recognize warning signs and act immediately by telling a trusted adult or submitting an anonymous tip.
Superintendent Earnest Winston announced in December that CMS was implementing the reporting tool — the statewide rollout of “Say Something” began in 2019 — following a four-month start to the school year that saw a 10-year high for guns found on campuses and multiple fights. All but one of the guns reported in schools were seized without the trigger being pulled.
“Students see and hear things all the time, whether in class, on the bus, at lunch, or social media,” said Rick Parker, the principal at East Mecklenburg High School.
“They are our eyes and ears. If they hear something that they feel is a safety concern to help someone who may hurt themselves or others, and at the same time do it anonymously, students will do it.
“I don’t feel all students are afraid to speak out. Many do not have a problem with reporting. Others feel that someone else will tell or they do not want to be a ‘snitch’ to save face with their friends or worry about retaliation if someone finds out.”
The reporting system is a program of Sandy Hook Promise, a national nonprofit founded and led by several family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut on Dec. 14, 2012.
How does it work?
The Say Something Anonymous Reporting System is a mobile app, telephone hotline and website that students can use to report safety concerns anonymously. When credible tips are received, school-based representatives are notified, even after hours if tips are life-threatening and require immediate intervention.
In cases of imminent threat, the crisis center will contact local 911 dispatch and involve law enforcement.
The system also educates students on how to recognize warning signs, which can include personality changes, dramatic changes in physical appearance, or fascinations with weapons or school shootings.
“It allows the students to have a sense of safety and comfort to express their concerns,” Principal Orlando Robinson of Northridge Middle School said. “They often assume that they would be looked at differently by reporting things to adults. This reporting tool also allows staff to know what’s going on when we are not able to be in the ‘mix’ of everything.”
CMS is notifying parents Monday with a letter, voice message and/or a text that their students will begin training, said Eve White, the district’s executive director of communications. Students will be trained via a live virtual webinar in the classroom led by a teacher. Sessions are one hour.
The program is free for the district and serves three million youth and adults in more than 5,500 schools nationwide.
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SAVE Clubs forming
Robinson said he believes “100% that kids are afraid to speak out.”
“Because of the judgment of their peers,” he said. “In addition, not feeling safe enough to believe that the adults around them can be trusted enough and will listen to what they have to say.”
According to Sandy Hook Promise, in the majority of cases of youth violence, the individual displays warning signs before taking any action. It estimates 1 million students are harassed, threatened or subjected to forms of bullying, including cyberbullying.
The nonprofit reports 80% of school shooters tell someone of their violent plans, 69% tell more than one person and 70% of people who die by suicide tell someone of their plans or give some other warning sign.
“We want students to know they can help save lives by reporting,” Parker said, adding that “Say Something” posters and flyers will be placed around the school to get the word out.
“I plan on having a student club market and promote it as well. They will create a SAVE Club (Students Against Violence Everywhere) to help encourage student participation. When a student joins the club and becomes a member, that gives them a sense of belonging and a commitment to do their duty.”
Robinson says his team will post information about the app on the school’s website and school social media platforms. Northridge Middle also will form a SAVE Club.
“Every school that launches must form a SAVE promise club,” White said. “The (club) is the driver of changing the culture.”
Preventing violence
Nicole Hockley is the co-founder and CEO of the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation. Hockley’s son Dylan was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.
Since the pandemic began, “life safety” tips, where at least one life is deemed to be in imminent danger, increased to more than 20% of all the tips received, Hockley told the Observer. That’s an increase of 10% since before the pandemic.
“The shift to remote learning aligned with an increase in self-reported tips (vs tips about others) about suicidal thoughts, depression/anxiety, cutting or self-harm, and abuse,” she said.
Hockley said the organization has confirmed that least seven planned school shootings have been averted because of the reporting system. They’ve also had more than 2,700 mental health interventions that saved at least 257 students from potential suicide.
“Violence is not inevitable. It is preventable,” Hockley said. “Students are the eyes and ears of their schools and communities. They are often the first to see any concerning behaviors or threats.”
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