Safe2Say Something reports may be submitted by any individual, including students, parents/guardians, staff and others about unsafe, potentially harmful, dangerous, violent or criminal activities in a school entity or threat of such activities in a school entity through:
- A twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week telephone hotline maintained by the Office of the Attorney General’s Safe2Say Something Crisis Center – 1-844-SAF2SAY (1-844-723-2729);
- A Safe2Say Something program secure website; or
- A Safe2Say Something software program application, or “app” accessed through a mobile electronic device.
Reports, also known as tips, are analyzed by the Safe2Say Something Crisis Center and categorized as either Life Safety or Non-Life Safety based on definitions determined and approved by the Office of the Attorney General.
The Safe2Say Something Crisis Center forwards reports to the District’s Safe2Say Team via telephone communication, text and/or email, depending on the nature and categorization of the report received as follows:
Life Safety Reports – Delivered twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week via telephone call, email, and text message to the District’s Safe2Say Team. A call is made to one (1) team member at a time through a list designated by the District until someone answers the call and verbally confirms that they will review the report.
Non-Life Safety Reports – Delivered daily via email and/or text message between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. to the District’s Safe2Say Team.
The District’s Safe2Say Team will respond to Life Safety and Non-Life Safety Reports in accordance with these procedures.
The District’s Safe2Say Team disseminates the Life Safety and Non-Life Safety Reports to the relevant school-based staff, which may include, but are not limited to:
- Building principal/assistant principal
- Guidance counselor
- School Safety Officer
Receiving Reports
Upon receipt of a report notification via telephone call, text message and/or email, each District’s Safe2Say Team member will log in to the Safe2Say Something management program to retrieve the report.
The District’s Safe2Say Team will communicate with team members regarding the report through the Safe2Say Something management program.
The District’s Safe2Say Team will notify the Safe2Say Something Crisis Center through the Safe2Say Something management program if a report is received identifying a student who is not enrolled in the District. Information on the student’s current enrollment in another school or program will be provided to the Crisis Center, if known by the District’s Safe2Say Team member responding to the report.
Law Enforcement Coordination
The District’s Safe2Say Team lead administrator, in coordination with the Superintendent and/or School Safety and Security Coordinator, will schedule and facilitate meetings with the Philadelphia Police Department to discuss communication and handling of Life Safety reports from the Safe2Say Something program, and follow-up of Non-Life Safety reports as necessary.
Communication strategies and guidelines for handling reports will be documented in the biannual Memorandum of Understanding with local law enforcement agencies.
Assessment and Response
Members of the District’s Safe2Say Team receiving Safe2Say Something reports will identify if the report is a Life Safety or Non-Life Safety report. District Safe2Say Team members will make a determination about whether to anonymously communicate with the reporter, if possible, through the Safe2Say Something management program for additional information based on:
The nature of the report and the scope of information provided initially;
The recommendation of the local law enforcement agency, when applicable; and
The training and experience of the District’s Safe2Say Team member(s).
Life Safety Reports
The District’s Safe2Say Team will coordinate with the local law enforcement agencies when assessing and responding to Life Safety reports. Coordination may include, but not be limited to:
Providing student or staff information for immediate response by law enforcement,
Providing required information to the Incident Command Post in an emergency situation,
Cooperating in joint investigation and response to a report, and
Documenting the resolution of a report in the portal.
The building principal, in consultation with the District’s Safe2Say Team, and local law enforcement agency, will determine if the parent(s)/guardians(s) of a student(s) identified in or the subject of a report should be notified concerning a report, based on the nature of the report and the need for ongoing investigation.
Non-Life Safety Reports
The District’s Safe2Say Team may reach out to and include other teams and/or staff who are familiar with the student and/or situation in assessing and responding to a report.
The building principal, in consultation with the District’s Safe2Say Team, and local law enforcement agency, will determine if the parent(s)/guardians(s) of a student(s) identified in or the subject of a report should be notified concerning a report, based on the nature of the report and the need for ongoing investigation.
Assessment, Response, and Reporting
In assessing Safe2Say Something reports, the school based team will conduct interviews and investigations in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, Board policies and administrative procedures, and will respect the rights and confidentiality of students, staff, parents/guardians and others in assessing and responding to Safe2Say Something reports in accordance with applicable law or Board policy.
The school based team shall keep the District’s Safe2Say Team informed of the progress of the investigation and ultimate outcome.
The District’s Safe2Say Team will add notes or attachments to the report in the Safe2Say Something management program for communication and coordination among the members of the District’s Safe2Say Team and ensure that all reports are officially closed in the Safe2Say Something management program.
Threat Assessment Considerations
If the District’s Safe2Say Team receives a report of a student/situation that poses a threat of violence the District’s Safe2Say Team conducts an initial assessment of the report to determine whether the report should be forwarded to the District’s Threat Assessment Team for action in accordance with Policy 805 and its administrative procedures. Reports of student/situation that pose a clear and immediate threat of serious violence are immediately forwarded to law enforcement and the District’s Threat Assessment Team.
Students With Disabilities
When reporting an incident committed by a student with a disability to a law enforcement agency, the District will provide the information required by state and federal laws and regulations and will ensure that copies of the special education and disciplinary records of the student are available for consideration by these authorities to the extent that such review is permitted by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.