Students,
parents, and community members can access a new anonymous tip line to
report a potential school-related crisis, inappropriate behavior, or
suspicious activity to school administrators.
Director
of Student Services and School Safety Barb Pope shared an overview of
the new “LiveTip” phone line during a school board meeting in January.
Stickers
and posters advertising the tip line have been posted in all 32
district schools. The 1-866-Live-Tip (1-800-548-3847 ext. 300) line is
available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Tips
can be called in about safety issues such as weapons, bomb threats,
fights, bullying or harassment, abuse, arson, criminal activity, gang
activity, suicide, vandalism, and theft, Pope said.
If
the person who calls is also the person who is contemplating suicide,
he or she is connected immediately to a trained counselor at the Suicide
Prevention Hotline.
The
line is monitored by SafeSchools, an organization that the Puyallup
School District also partners with to provide online safety training
classes for its employees.
It
provides a confidential option, Pope said, for parents and students who
might fear reprisal, don’t know how to access other communication
tools, or need to report volatile information after school hours or on
the weekend.
Callers
have the option, she said, of leaving a message or speaking directly
with a LiveTip operator. All calls are documented and disseminated to
the appropriate school district authority to investigate and take action
as needed, Pope said.
If
an urgent call is received after school hours, district and/or school
administrators receive a call on their home or cell phone numbers, she
said.
Callers
who speak directly to LiveTip operators receive a case number and can
call back in several days for an update about their call.
There
is no cost for the service, Pope said. The district is also eligible
for a discount on its annual insurance policy by providing the LiveTip
number to students and the community.
The
new tip line is the next in a series of steps the district has taken to
ensure student safety. A weapons hotline will continue to be advertised
in student handbooks, and wooden boxes have been available in many
school offices to collect anonymous tips, Pope said.
Students,
parents, and community members are encouraged to continue to contact a
school administrator or other staff member directly with concerns, Pope
said.
LiveTip Student-Parent Flyer