Colorado’s Safe2Tell anonymous reporting program has released its 2024-2025 annual report, marking a significant milestone in its two-decade history. The program received over 31,000 reports last year, representing an 11% increase from the previous year and setting a new record for the initiative dedicated to enhancing school safety and student welfare.
Top Issues Reported: Suicide, Bullying and More
The report highlights several critical issues facing Colorado’s youth, with suicide threats being the most frequently reported concern, accounting for 10.3% of all reports. Other significant areas include bullying (8.6%), school safety concerns involving staff (8.3%), drug-related issues (5.2%), and welfare concerns (4.9%).
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Safe2Tell allows individuals to submit reports about themselves or others, maintaining anonymity to encourage more people to come forward. Notably, 90% of the reports came from bystanders, while the remaining 10% were self-reports. Bullying emerged as the most common self-reported issue, followed by harassment.
Preferred Reporting Methods: Digital Channels Lead
The program’s data reveals that the preferred method of reporting is through the mobile web, which accounted for 47% of the tips. This was followed by reports via PC web at 31%, phone calls at 16%, mobile apps at 4%, and text short codes at 1%. Interestingly, 3.2% of all tips involved some form of social media.
Real-Life Success Stories from Safe2Tell
Several reports have had serious, tangible outcomes, underscoring the program’s impact:
- A report on a social media threat involving explosives led to the arrest of the student responsible and a notification to the social media platform.
- A welfare check was conducted after a report of a student being abused at home, resulting in counseling for the student and involvement from the Department of Human Services.
- Intervention by school teams and local law enforcement helped locate a student planning to run away, leading to family support initiatives.
- School officials took disciplinary action and implemented monitoring after reports of peer gang formation targeting other students.
- A report of a student’s inappropriate intentions involving drugs led to a restorative conversation, safety plan, and parental notification.
- An internal investigation and arrest followed the report of a staff member’s inappropriate conduct with students.
Colorado is not the only state with an anonymous tip program. Many other states, cities, and counties have anonymous reporting systems and hotlines that enable students, teachers, administrators, school employees, and members of the public to confidentially report a school or community threat via a phone call, text, app, or online.