Louisiana students and teachers can submit information about potential threats using a school safety app funded by the Governor's Office of Homeland Security in the wake of the Winder, Georgia, shooting.
The Safe Schools LA app, created by CrimeStoppers Inc. Greater New Orleans (GNO), provides 650 schools with the ability to anonymously report information about threats, bullying, abuse and more. WGNO Reported.
WATCH — Sen. Warnock: School shootings are “an American reality”:
“It's really sad, it's really shocking and it's really disappointing to see this happening again and again in our country,” said Darlene Cusanza, the group's president and CEO.
“Whenever a horrific incident like this occurs, a shooting like this, let's remember that there are services here. Let's remember that we all have a role to play in speaking up,” Cusanza said.
“Unfortunately, we know that when a child or student is in or finds themselves in a situation where they may be threatening violence, they will usually tell someone else,” she explained.
Reports about the app come after 14-year-old Apalachee High School student Colt Gray allegedly shot and killed two teenagers and two teachers on Wednesday.
The F.B.I. Received The FBI's Atlanta field office confirmed that they had received “several anonymous tips regarding online threats regarding school shootings” regarding Gray.
Cusanza said it was important to talk about the bullying and abuse that contributes to these tragedies.
“When you hear about these shootings, there's almost always an element of a child feeling bullied, bullied or abused, whatever the situation, usually over a long period of time, and other children witnessing it,” she told the media outlet, “so it's important to always have that conversation with bystanders and witnesses and not be silent.”
Safe Schools LA will reportedly feature a 24/7 “live response service” where operators will receive tips, vet them and then send them on to school officials and appropriate authorities.
“Never assume that you won't intervene or that you can't help,” Cusanza said. “Kids want to have power over their situation. They want to do the right thing. They want to feel like they have an opportunity to have a voice.”
