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Whitehouse ISD implements anonymous reporting system for students, parents, community members

Say Something is a youth violence prevention program from Sandy Hook Promise – a national violence prevention organization.

WHITEHOUSE, Texas — Afters years of research by district administrators, the Whitehouse Independent School District has officially implemented the use of the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System. 

"We really do rely on the help from our parents, and the help from our community and the help from our students in recognizing the things that may be a threat to them, or just a situation that they're uncomfortable with and need to let someone know," Director of Student Auxiliary Services Kevin Whitman said. 

Say Something is a youth violence prevention program from Sandy Hook Promise: A national violence prevention organization. 

"We began looking at this a couple of years ago and really studying something for our students and for our community," said Whitman. "We developed some in-house reporting systems and some things that didn’t quite cover every area that we wanted to cover."

The app allows for quick and anonymous reporting. It allows students, teachers, parents and community members to report their safety concerns to trained individuals that can help intervene and prevent school violence and tragedies, such as bullying and suicide. 

"To be able to do that anonymously gives them more comfort to be able to share things they wouldn't normally share, and it gives them an avenue to feel comfortable about making a call or going online or texting through the app," Whitman explained.

Once a tip is submitted, it is reviewed, assessed and processed by the app's crisis center. It is then sent to law enforcement and/or school administration for intervention. If needed, the crisis center might contact the person who made the report anonymously through the app or by case number follow-up. 

“We all know of some of the social media things that are out there, but then, we know that there are social media things out there that we’re unaware of, and it really takes the team effort to be able to recognize those things, to be aware of what’s out there," said Whitman. "We can’t monitor that 24/7 as an administrative team and as a school district." 

Whitman says one of the core beliefs of Whitehouse ISD is that everyone has a right to safe and caring environment. He says this belief actively drove the districts decision to adopt the system. 

Anyone interested can find more information about Whitehouse ISD's decision and the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System by visiting the district's website.

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