LEDGER – Mitchell County Schools will be part of the first wave of participating schools in a new safety website, mobile application and phone line called “Say Something Anonymous.”
The state recently bought into Say Something Anonymous, which is a product of the Sandy Hook Promise organization.
Six school systems in North Carolina ran pilot versions of the program this past school year and now, the program is set to go live to the first wave of school systems, including Mitchell.
Career Technical Education and Facilities Director Kim Hodshon told the Mitchell County Board of Education about the program Thursday, Nov. 21, during the board’s regular meeting.
Teachers, students and administrators are being trained on the new program through videos from the state. The program is for students in grades 6-12.
Local middle school students have already been trained and the Mitchell High training is scheduled to take place the day before students leave for Thanksgiving break. The program is expected to go live locally by the end of November.
“If a student needs to report suspicious behavior, they will put in a report,” Hodshon said. “The reports go to a command center in Miami. They will then take the report and decide if it is life-threatening.”
Reports can be filed through the website, the mobile application or by phone. If a report is deemed to be life-threatening, officials from the command center will contact the local 911 Center.
Local 911 Center representatives received training for the program.
Board Chair Brandon Pitman thanked all those involved.
“Thank you to those who help make this happen,” Pitman said. “There is a lot of responsibility there.”