Safe2Tell tips surge, Colorado schools share impact
A new report by the Colorado Attorney General’s office says Safe2Tell, the state’s anonymous hotline for students to report potential school threats or violence, saw a 28% spike during the 2018-19 school year.
During that time, Safe2Tell received more than 22,330 tips. Of those, 19,861 qualified as legitimate tips, meaning they were not duplicates, hang-ups or pranks.
The biggest threat reported to schools was suicide and Colorado Springs District 11's Devra Ashby says she credits the program with saving the lives of several students.
In recent years, Ashby says students have not only used the program to report that they're suicidal, but also to report friends and classmates who are at risk of harming themselves.
The report says drugs and bullying were also been highly reported last school year.
Safe2Tell went live in 2004, the program is now being discussed in school districts in other states. Susan Payne, the program founder has also shared more on the program with districts in Florida, following the Parkland school shooting.
