Area students now have a way to report mental health crises or potential instances of violence without identifying themselves. Jacksonville School District 117 has signed up with Safe2Help Illinois, a statewide program launched last year that allows students to anonymously report information that could prevent threats to school safety.
Tips then are passed to school officials, mental health professionals and local law enforcement, depending on the information.
The Illinois General Assembly passed House Bill 1778 in July, requiring state schools to print ID cards that have Safe2Help Illinois’ helpline number on them, among other mental health resources. Superintendent Steve Ptacek said that while signing up for the program may have fulfilled that legal requirement, it originally was brought to the district’s attention by the Regional Office of Education.
Ptacek “immediately saw the value in providing the service to our students,” he said. “We just really see this as an absolute positive for our students, having a safe place to report any threats of violence or any of their own mental health issues they’re going through,” he said.
The Waverly school district also recently signed with Safe2Help Illinois. Superintendent Andrea Guerrero said the district also is in its first year of using the program as a supplement to its other programs for both student and faculty mental health.
