Daviess County Public Schools referenced the STOP tip line logo in their statement concerning Monday morning’s social media event that caused district students and parents to start the day anxious about school safety.
Both Owensboro Public Schools and Daviess County Public Schools use Kentucky’s free Safety Tipline, Online Prevention, or STOP tip line, as part of the commitment to ensuring the safety of students, staff and schools.
The tip line was created by a former teacher and administrator in McCracken County schools where, over two decades ago, a deadly high school shooting occurred. It is an online reporting and prevention tool that is provided by the Kentucky Center for School Safety at no cost to the DCPS and OPS districts.
“We always want students to feel free to share information with a trusted adult at our schools, but we know sometimes kids are reluctant to report certain situations,” said Damon Fleming, DCPS director of student services. “The STOP tip line provides a way to report concerns anonymously by using a smartphone, tablet or computer. We hope this tool will encourage everyone to report bullying and other issues so they can be addressed and resolved before they escalate. We will follow up immediately to investigate every concern that is shared through this forum.”
Jared Revlett, public information officer for OPS, said that this tool has been beneficial in the sense that it is an additional layer of security that is available to their faculty and staff, and really any member of the community.
“It isn’t just there for people associated with the schools. We would hope that anyone who suspects that something is ‘off’ that they would report it to school officials,” Revlett said.
Both district websites offer the STOP logo and website link where students, parents or members of the community may report any unsafe situations, including bullying, weapons or drugs. This anonymous website sends a report immediately to DCPS and OPS administrators who are trained in appropriate follow-up measures.
Tips may be left anonymously or individuals may request to have a district administrator contact them directly. The DCPS site also includes a translation option for the Spanish and Somali languages.
Revlett said that with the positive culture that OPS has created between faculty, staff and students, the tip line is just another resource that can be used to report incidents and concerns, but that most incidents are reported within the school.
More information can be found about the tip line at www.kycss.org/stop/about.php
