Start a Ticket to REPORT NOW
School safety is a shared responsibility. Although you may have fears about reporting school safety concerns, it is important to know the importance of reporting. You may feel resistant to reporting peer incidents for the following reasons:
- You fear retaliation. Anonymous reporting exists for this reason. Anonymous reporting systems are truly anonymous.
- You do not want to be labeled “a snitch.” It is not “snitching” when you are asking for help for yourself or for others. Asking for help saves lives. Intervention takes place when it is needed, and it provides much-needed help and resources to those who need it. You may be the only person who can help, and the only way they can help is by telling someone.
- You falsely believe that reporting is betraying a friend’s trust. Never promise confidentiality. If someone wants you to promise not to tell, you can say, “I can’t promise you that I won’t tell anyone because I don’t know what you are going to tell me. I care about you, and if you tell me that you may hurt yourself or someone else, I have to tell someone because I care about you.” You may be the only person who can help them, and they can help them by telling someone. You may save their life or someone else’s life by telling.
- You someone else already has reported or will report it. The right thing to do is report it anyway. You will never know whether someone else has or will. Even if a peer says they have reported it, they may just be saying that.
- You do not believe anything will be done about it. There are procedures and laws in place to investigate reports. Sometimes it may appear like nothing is being done, but that is because college staff must abide by privacy rules. You did your part by reporting it.
- You do not believe it is your responsibility to report it. “It’s not my problem.” School safety and school climate is everyone’s responsibility. You may be the only person who can provide intervention before it is too late.
Everyone must be educated and empowered to report concerning, dangerous behaviors so that prevention and intervention efforts can be utilized when they are needed.