The Idaho Office of School Safety and Security has received $540,000 dollars in federal grants to launch a statewide school safety tip line and other tools.
The U.S. Department of Justice grants resulted from the federal STOP School Violence Act. Idaho officials plan to use the grants to launch a confidential, statewide tip line featuring downloadable apps and a web portal for students to report behavior of concern or suspicious activity.
The companion piece will allow the state to develop and offer training on a statewide behavioral threat assessment and management protocol.
The Idaho Legislature and Governor Butch Otter created the Office of School Safety and Security in 2016. Since its inception, the office’s security consultants have visited about two thirds of Idaho’s schools, developing individualized safety and threat assessments for those buildings.
The grants and tip line will allow the office to expand on its services, addressing critical gaps identified in school safety assessments, and offering students an easy reporting mechanism.
A timeline of the tip-line rollout will be announced in the coming weeks. (IdahoEdNews.org)
