Student safety remains our priority in Dunlap Community Unit School District #323. We want to continue to provide a safe learning environment and resources to help our parents, teachers, students, and staff be successful.
Our district is participating in a statewide school safety program called Safe2Help Illinois. This program offers students a safe and confidential way to share information that may help prevent suicides, bullying, school violence, and other threats to student safety.
Safe2Help Illinois features a 24/7 helpline (1-844-4-SAFEIL), text line (SAFE2), free mobile app, and dedicated website (www.Safe2Helpil.com). In the absence of a trusted adult, students can use Safe2Help Illinois to share concerns about themselves or others in a confidential environment. Once vetted, the information will be immediately shared with local school officials, 911 call centers/Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) depending on the nature of the information. The intent is to encourage students to “seek help before harm,” with the goal of intervening and helping students before they harm themselves or others.
The most common reports received by Safe2Help Illinois have been bullying and threats of suicide. This sobering information underscores the importance of making sure our students have the resources they need in times of need. While we understand these topics may be hard to approach, we encourage parents to promote open lines of communication with their students. Safe2Help Illinois offers a variety of resources on their website which may make it easier to approach these hard-to-have conversations.
We also believe Safe2Help Illinois has the potential to be effective in preventing acts of school violence. Over the last 15 years, in almost every case of a mass school shooting in the U.S. committed by a student, after action reports indicate at least one other student knew something might happen but did not come forward for a variety of reasons.
We are thankful to be able to include Safe2Help Illinois as an added layer of safety in our comprehensive school safety systems.
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