By Rhys Baker

USD 379 Clay County Schools use the STOP IT app as a form of bullying prevention throughout the school district. The app-based system allows students to report any concerns they have anonymously. The app is also available on students’ computers and a web-based program, as USD 379 has implemented a no-phones policy for students. USD 379 Community Connections Coordinator Matt Weller explains, “It’s a way for students’ voices to be heard, and it’s anonymous unless they choose to put their name on it. It’s always anonymous. So, it’s not something that kids have to be worried about getting in trouble for, you know, turning anything in.”

Weller says that although the app is a piece of the puzzle in bullying prevention at USD 379, it is not the only thing STOP IT can be used for, “Not just about bullying. There are all kinds of different things that you could choose as your reasoning for turning in something. Anything from very, very serious things so they won’t leave a chair for me at the lunch table. The messages automatically go to the principals. At that point, the principals can act on it, but it moves to the next level if they don’t get it. And that level, if if the app personnel deems it serious enough, it can even go to a local law enforcement. There’s a person. It’s not just a tech bot. It’s a person on the line deciding whether to move it to the next level.”

STOPit does more than just help schools address incidents; the app is a proactive tool that helps deter and prevent bullying and inappropriate behavior, not just react to it. The StopIt app includes prompts for students to follow to get the who, what, when, where, or even why the student is reporting.