Safe2Say has been an ever-growing presence in our school in the past few weeks. Safe2Say is an app where students can anonymously report suspicious actions happening around the school. It is a youth violence prevention program run by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. The program manages to help adults and youth spot possible warning signs in social media and other forms of communication. Safe2Say encourages people to say something before it is too late.

Officer Marshall spoke more about Safe2Say. He spoke about how Safe2Say enables students to report concerns they have for friends or classmates. It makes it so kids don’t get labeled as a “snitch” for telling an adult about things, however depending on the circumstance it could be crucial information that is getting passed along. If there is a threat of violence against the school, we want to be notified so we can prevent it before it develops. Some actions that should be reported, according to Officer Marshall, are planned or talks of school violence and serious concerns such as self-harm or physical abuse.

However, abusing Safe2Say can result in punishment. Officer Marshall states, “Although it is anonymous, we, the police, can petition the court for a court order to obtain the tipsters information. The consequences for making the report can result in being arrested for false reports, which is a misdemeanor.”

Officer Marshall touched on how the program was already being used seriously and respectfully. He also spoke about how the program was formed because of the Sandy Hook Promise, which resulted because of the tragic events at Sandy Hook in 2011.

Officer Marshall concluded his interview with “I would like to remind our students that we would prefer you to come into the office or my office and speak with us face to face. Also, I would say that this app should not be used to make false allegations or for letting the school know about minor infractions that can be dealt with during school hours.”

If anyone has any concerns to report make sure to go to Safe2Say at https://www.safe2saypa.org/ and report them.