County schools, sheriff launch ‘SAFE-2-TELL’ tip line

Madison County Schools Superintendent Matt Massey, at left, and Madison County Sheriff Blake Dorning revealed the SAFE-2-TELL tip line during a press conference at Madison County High School on April 9. (CONTRIBUTED)

GURLEY – Harassing comments and aggressive behavior by students’ peers hopefully will decrease with the new “SAFE-2-TELL” tip line for Madison County Schools.

Madison County Sheriff Blake Dorning and county superintendent Matt Massey revealed SAFE-2-TELL during a press conference at Madison County High School on April 9.

The text tip line allows students to share information that could prevent bullying and any other threats to school safety. SAFE-2-TELL’s technology protects students’ anonymity to safely report bullying or possible danger at school.

SAFE-2-TELL “is a great safety program,” Massey said in acknowledging the sheriff’s office for working to activate the system. “To ensure our students maximize their academic potential, it’s absolutely incumbent upon us to make sure they have the most productive and safe learning environment possible.”

SAFE-2-TELL tip line has a phone line that the sheriff’s office will monitor daily. The number is 256-536-8355. A student can call in, send a text message or send an email message, Dorning said.

A student who is scared or worried about being bullied cannot focus on learning, Massey said. “Our job is to take away any negative influences on the classroom to maximize the learning potential of every student,” he said.

SAFE-2-TELL will empower a student to advocate for his or her schools and learning environment. “One of the pillars of leadership is student advocacy. It’s my job to advocate for Madison County Schools, our students, teachers and administrators,” Massey said.

With SAFE-2-TELL, students can “take ownership of their education by allowing them to safely and anonymously report bullying incidences or potential school safety threats without fear of reprisal,” Massey said.

“Tips can be sent to the SAFE-2-TELL tip line for a variety of reasons that would affect the overall safety of the school, as well as reasons that could affect an individual student such as bullying,” Dorning said. “The most important part of this is it helps us ensure the safety of our students.”