A new way of reporting a bully, threats or other violence is emerging in schools throughout the country. Just what is it? Schools are setting up special email accounts for students to write and send in reports of threats or bullies anonymously. Schools are also offering a hotline where students or concerned parents can call to report threats without giving their name. Everything is completely anonymous.
What will this do for school safety? Or better yet, what do schools hope this will do to keep their school safe? Many schools that are implementing this bully/threat reporting system are hoping that it will stop school violence before it starts. Many schools are hopeful that this way of sharing information will allow students to report a problem who are too scared or threatened to speak face-to-face with school staff. Schools are hopeful that this will curb the rise in school violence and help make schools safer.
Let’s face it, bullying and threats aren’t often reported because a student is too embarrassed, ashamed or even fearful to step up and report it. It is to no fault of the student, reporting something or someone that has threatened to harm you can be very scary. This fear does hinder reports of threats and bullies in schools everywhere. Therefore, by being able to report something as important as this without the fear that someone will find out, could possibly lead to a decrease in school bullies and threats against students, staff and the school in general.
Will this type of anonymous bully program help? Only time will tell. It certainly can’t hurt and it may just prevent a student from being injured. It is certainly worth a try. What is your school doing to prevent bullying? Is it working? Do you think implementing a program like the one in this blog may help? If you do, why not suggest something like this at your child’s school? It can never hurt to ask.
Related Links:
How Parents Should Deal With School Bullying
What Schools Should be Doing About Bullies