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Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2006 > November > 15 > Entry
I’ll wager this trend takes off
In Houston, a couple of schools recently joined about 40 nationwide who have created websites for students to make anonymous tips.
They can use the system to alert school officials to rule breaking, suspicious behavior or to raise a red flag if they think a friend needs help (even if the “friend” is them).
Proponents say this approach is the natural next step in a digital world toward ensuring student safety. Critics argue such a system can invade students’ privacy and subject innocent kids to suspicion.
Interestingly, the most common use of the system so far is to alert school officials about students who are self-mutilating, or cutting on themselves. This is an increasingly common depression symptom, one that guidance counselors and schools are reporting seeing an alarming spike.
Personally, I like the idea of a Net-based anonymous tip line. It’s a sensible, student-friendly approach that can help school officials track what’s common knowledge among students — a pretty powerful information source. And on an individual basis, a red flag here and there could help prevent bad things from happening.
Some common sense is called for. Administrators will have to remember the students are innocent until proven guilty. But if they use the info for leads to follow up on and signals for where to dig deeper, they should be able to navigate the privacy concerns.
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Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Student Health and Safety
Comments
By Mary
November 16, 2006 7:25 AM | Link to this
An anonymous tip line does not alarm me. However, it is another way of treating the symptoms instead of the basic problems. I think the school enviroment, as well as our culture in general, helps drive the self destructive behavior of students. We adults have “lost it” so our childen are losing it as well. I think smaller classes and less commotion in schools would help those students who feel unhappy in the school environment. I would hate to go to today’s noisy chaotic schools. I wonder if I would be cutting myself.