A new program, “Say Something Anonymous Reporting System” replaced the previous “Text-A-Tip.” Both programs promote support and mental assistance to students easily and anonymously.

The new system allows school districts to enable students and adults to submit secure and anonymous safety concerns to help identify and intervene upon at-risk individuals before they hurt themselves or others.

To report something, students can send an anonymous tip through the website, app, or by phone. It is open 24/7 and when sent, the tip is reviewed by a crisis center. After being reviewed, the tip is sent to law enforcement and/or school administrations for intervention. This is one of the major differences between the new program and the previous, “Text-A-Tip.”

“Text-A-Tip” was a program that sent anonymous messages straight to administrators at the school instead of a crisis center. This means that students would need to rely on busy adults seeing their texts rather than knowing they always have access to help.

“Say Something” is a youth violence prevention program from Sandy Hook Promise (SHP). SHP is a national, nonprofit organization led by several family members whose loved ones were killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook on December 14, 2012.

Their main focus is based around preventing gun violence and other forms of victimization by educating others on getting help for individuals who may be at risk of hurting themselves or others.

“I’m excited for the additional layer of mental health support for our kids because I think that’s one of the bigger things needed to prevent a cataphrose from happening,” said Darrin Jindra, Assistant Principal at SJHHS.

Through the delivery of their four different “Know the Signs” prevention programs including relationship skills, social awareness, responsible decision-making, and self-awareness, millions of youth and adults have reported possible victims of different obstacles. Some of the different challenges reported deal with suicide, gun violence, school shootings, bullying, and other violent threats.

Similar to the previous program,“Text-A-Tip,” the new reporting system gives students the ability to report any dangerous scenarios to professionals. Because everything sent is anonymous, administrators hope students will feel better about sharing different situations because their name isn’t attached to the problem.

“The new program is going to be monitored 24/7 by a crisis center. This will provide the extra level of support for those kids struggling at 2 a.m. trying to reach help and get it immediately instead of all the administrators being in bed and risking not seeing it till the next morning when it may be too late,” said Jindra.

On November 22, all students and staff members viewed a sixteen minute video introducing “Say Something” during their third period tutorial. It showed what it is, an introduction, how to sign up for a spot, and how to get the mobile app. Because every message goes to the crisis center, the district is hoping that students will take the program more seriously than “Text-a-Tip,” and use it for the better.

The original rollout date was delayed so that training and procedural information could be coordinated with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. “Say Something” now works with both CUSD and OCSD.
“That level of support when it comes to the mental health for some kids that want to say something, but don’t know how is gonna be huge. I’m excited about that,” said Jindra.

The “Say Something Anonymous Reporting System” was implemented in the district to take action on reaching kids that need help accessible to them at all times. The new program is a reminder for students to use their voices because they will be heard.