The school district tweeted out a video earlier this month previewing the new bullying tip line feature on the Katy On-the-Go app.
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The tip line lets students anonymously report instances of bullying from their phone.
The roll-out of the app has been in the works for about a year now. The district says it will take every tip very seriously.
"Those tips are not going to go into outer space. There is going to be an administrator there who is going to be monitoring that at every campus," said Katy ISD Media Relations Manager Maria Corrales DiPetta.
The feature is now available, and it's located on the bottom left of the app.
To use it, follow these steps:
- Type in a quick description of what's happening.
- Select your school.
- You can even attach a photo to show proof. For example, if students see cyber-bullying, they can take a screenshot and submit those.
- Remember, the more specific information, the better.
- Even though you can remain anonymous, you can give your name, if you choose.
- Hit submit and you're done.
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This year, Katy ISD is also turning to a company called Social Sentinel to help identify threats on social media.
Social Sentinel scans public posts from a dozen social media platforms like Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, looking for threats or harmful language.
Those posts are flagged and sent to campus administrators.
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The company claims it has already helped to save many lives.
Get a tutorial on how to download the app.
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