OKLAHOMA CITY — Teachers, students and staff are now able to report school threats by text in Oklahoma thanks to a new technology.
The text works with the already existing Oklahoma School Security Institute (OSSI) tip line. Prior to the new technology, reports could be called in or filed online.
Now, officials said any concerns or suspicious activities can be reported by students, teachers and staff by texting "OKS Threat" to 226787.
“Students need to feel safe and comfortable for meaningful learning to occur,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister. “We must do everything in our power to ensure student safety, and we are grateful for this partnership that allows for us to expand the tip line.”
People reporting a school threat via text are able to remain anonymous. Also, the text allows two-way communication, video and images to be sent 24 hours a day.
“Our office is committed to the safety and security of our students and school personnel across the state,” said Gary Shelton, OSSI program manager. “We are always looking at new technology to enhance our threat reporting capabilities, and we hope this addition to our current tip line will be utilized to better warn our schools of any pending acts of violence."
Funding for the new state-of-the-art technology came from a grant awarded to the state education department of $250,000 by the U.S. Department of Justice
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