Bilingual Reporting System Will Address & Track Bullying Incidents
The state’s largest school district is offering a new tool to report (hotline and online), track and address bullying or other potentially harmful incidents. The Oklahoma City Public School District (OKCPS) is launching 587‐STOP, a bilingual incident reporting system available to OKCPS students, parents and staff.
The reporting method is developed through Awareity’s TIPS (Threat Assessment, Incident Management and Prevention Services) system which was purchased with a state grant.
“OKCPS must provide a safe environment in order for our students to reach their academic goals and be successful. This new system provides another tool in reporting, addressing and intervening on incidents to ensure the safety for our students and staff,” said Sandra Park, OKCPS Deputy Superintendent.
The system allows for the anonymous reporting of weapons possession, drug/alcohol use, harassment or intimidation, school vandalism, physical assault, threats of violence, suicide risk, abuse or neglect and other incidents.
The community can access the reporting system by visiting www.okcps.org and clicking on the TIPS REPORT INCIDENT button or calling 587‐STOP.
“This online system makes reporting easy and confidential,” said Tracy Alvarez, OKCPS Safe School Coordinator. “Users select from drop‐down menus that allow them to identify the school and select from the various types of incidents, date/time, identities of the person or persons being reported, and any victims or potential victims, along with a description.”
The phone reporting system offers an English or Spanish speaking operator who will take callers through the incident reporting process. Once an incident has been reported, designated OKCPS staff members will be automatically notified of the report. The anonymous online reporting forms are also available in multiple languages.
The system allows team members to create a record of recommendations and actions taken, keeping track of which members view and add to the record and notifying members of new information. Staff can set automatic reminders that notify them if it’s time to check in with a student who has been recently victimized or other items earmarked for follow‐up.
“We have selected school principals, counselors, school resource officers and other district staff to receive alerts to ensure incidents are investigated and addressed in a timely manner,” added Park.
OKCPS has developed a special 587‐STOP page on okcps.org with anti‐bullying resources for parents, students and the community. Please visit the www.okcps.org and facebook.com/okcpublicschools or twitter.com/okcps for more information and updates.
To learn more about Awareity’s TIPS, visit www.awareity.com.
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