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School district launches safety-enhancing app
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SPRINGFIELD -- The Effingham County School District now allows members of the school community to anonymously share important safety information with administrators and school officials. 

Concerned individuals may now send a secure message via a free smartphone app to share information about bullying, hazing, drug use, suspicious or potentially criminal activity, and/or any issue that may potentially jeopardize the safety of our students and schools. 

Developed by tip411, the Effingham County Schools Tip411 App puts a powerful new safety tool into the hands of students and faculty that enables them to take responsibility for the safety of their halls. The ECSD Tip411 app can be downloaded for free via the Google Play Store, iTunes App Store, or by visiting the Effingham County Schools website at www.effinghamschools.com. 

“As a community of learners, in cooperation with stakeholders, our mission is: To provide rigorous and relevant instruction in a safe environment to enable all students to obtain a high school diploma as a foundation for post-secondary success,” said Dr. Randy Shearouse, superintendent of schools. “To fulfill that mission, we must provide a safe learning environment, and we believe our new ECSD Tip411 app will assist in keeping our school system a safe place where students can learn and grow.” 

The ECSD Tip411 App is a system that offers its users 100 percent anonymity via technology that removes all identifying information before administrators see the tips. As a result, there is no way to identify the sender. 

Once someone sends a tip, campus officials receive it immediately and can respond back to engage in an anonymous two-way conversation. 

Those without a smartphone can text tips anonymously to school officials by using their school’s unique keyword. Simply send a text message to 847-411, begin the message with one of the following keywords, type in the information you wish to share, and hit send. This will create an anonymous two-way text conversation that allows administrators to respond in realtime. 

Visit www.effinghamschools.com for more details.