Stratford – When Superintendent Uyi Osunde was the principal of Windsor High School, he saw firsthand that the same mobile devices that students sometimes use to bully each other can also be an effective tool to deter such behaviour.
What the school did, Osunde said, was to adopt an app Windsor had been using for the past four years, which he said was effective in helping school officials deal with bullying cases. Now, Stratford School has launched a similar app that allows students to report to school officials while remaining anonymous.
“Kids are the eyes of our school,” said Matthew Rivers, the technical director who helped build the app in the area. “They have a pulse on what’s going on in the classroom, with their peers, with their friends.”
Officials hope the app, called Stopit, will allow students to help people and provide a more comfortable way to report problems, Rivers said. Previously, they had to visit school administrators or school counselors to report incidents, he said.
School officials say the app can help them overcome what they believe is a “no snitching” culture that pervades young people and proactively address issues like bullying or substance abuse. Teachers and other school officials have busy schedules, making it difficult to spot students facing problems, Rivers said.
The app is one of several safety measures implemented by the district. Other actions include hiring new safety supervisors, training de-escalation specialists and installing additional alarm systems in school buildings.
The school district launched the app last week and had received one or two reports as of Friday. Stopit is installed on Google Chromebook laptops assigned by schools to middle and high school students, and students can also download the app to their phones or PCs.
When students open the app, they select their school district and describe the incident, then send an anonymous tip to school officials. The officer will then be alerted. The app also allows school officials to communicate with students who submit reports. During this interaction, officials will allow students to decide whether to release the names of those in need or point them to services provided by the school, Rivers said.
If the victim wishes, the app can also help them “get more information, get that person to use the app or have them contact us directly so we can help them,” Rivers said.
While officials said the app wasn’t designed to respond to national events like the Uvalde school shooting earlier this year, Osunde said officials could use the app to respond to any “suspect” about a potential shooting.
Osunde said the app is part of the district’s ultimate goal of creating an environment where both students and teachers are happy to be in school and believes the district puts their safety first.
“There is still a lot of work to be done,” Osunde said. “But I do know that we are safer at Stratford Public Schools today than we were a year ago.”
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