SCHOOL RESOURCES
IOWA'S SCHOOL SAFETY PROGRAM
Thank you for taking this important step to protect your students, faculty, and staff from school violence while keeping parents informed and involved. Schools participating in our school safety program have access to a wide variety of school safety resources to train others and encourage the use of our anonymous reporting tools.
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How Safe+Sound Iowa Works
What Happens When I Make A Report?
Safe+Sound Iowa dispatchers collect and vet information so it can be immediately shared with the appropriate contacts and action taken.
1. Reports are made anonymously via the Safe+Sound Iowa website, mobile app or tip line.
2. A trained Safe+Sound Iowa dispatcher receives the report.
3. The dispatcher engages in two-way dialog with the person making the report to collect additional information, if necessary.
4. The confidential report is sent to local designated contacts.
5. Content within the report determines who responds and how the situation will be addressed.
6. The at-risk student receives the help they need BEFORE they harm themselves or others.
7. Reports are closed by the responding local school or law enforcement official.
What Happens When I Make A Report?
Safe+Sound Iowa dispatchers collect and get information so it can be immediately shared with the appropriate contacts and action taken.
1. Reports are made anonymously via the Safe+Sound Iowa website, mobile app or tip line.
2. A trained Safe+Sound Iowa dispatcher receives the report.
3. The dispatcher engages in two-way dialog with the person making the report to collect additional information, if necessary.
4. The confidential report is sent to local designated contacts.
5. Content within the report determines who responds and how the situation will be addressed.
6. The at-risk student receives the help they need BEFORE they harm themselves or others.
7. Reports are closed by the responding local school or law enforcement official.
FAQ
Why do we need to provide personal contact information for school staff? Are they expected to be on call 24/7?
Designated school emergency contacts do not need to be on call 24/7. While we understand the concern of adding to an already stressful workload, Safe+Sound Iowa is requesting a primary and secondary point of contact for each school building for notification of critical threat-to-life matters only. Designated contacts (i.e. School Principal) will only be notified via the provided phone number if a trained Safe+Sound Iowa Communications Specialist assesses the threat report information and determines the nature of the matter requires school assistance. Such matters will primarily be routed to the associated law enforcement agency for immediate follow-up. Safe+Sound Iowa will attempt to notify the designated school contact(s) via phone as they may have a direct need to know the information in real-time to take administrative actions and assist in the response.
Who is responsible for initially receiving a reported concern?
A Safe+Sound Iowa Communications Specialist from the Governor’s School Safety Bureau will be the intake person on every tip. Once the tip is evaluated it will be forwarded to the school and local law enforcement for appropriate action.
I am unsure at this time if my school will use this tool. Can I decide to use the program at a later date?
Yes. The choice to use this program is up to each school. If you are unsure at this time, you can decide at any time to market and use the program with your students and community.
I missed the December deadline, but can I still participate or provide contact information for my school?
This is a voluntary opt-in program and schools may choose to participate and share contact information with Safe+Sound Iowa anytime. Just complete this brief School Safety Contact Form.
We are requesting designated school emergency contact information as soon as possible to ensure that once the program launches, your school will be able to receive tip information immediately. Your schools’ contact information can be changed at any time. For any immediate changes, please email schoolsafety@dps.state.ia.us. Once the program launches, you’ll be able to make these changes on the reporting tool website.
How much does this program cost?
This threat reporting tool is made available by the Governor’s School Safety Bureau, and is a free solution for your school. There is no fee to participate, no set-up costs, and marketing tools will be made available to assist in implementation of the program.
What liability does receipt of this threat report information place on school staff?
The threat report information forwarded by Safe+Sound Iowa to the associated school should be handled according to current school procedures and protocols already in place. Safe+Sound Iowa does not place any mandatory reporting requirements on schools that receive threat information. However, schools should consider Safe+Sound Iowa reports to be no different than information received from concerned parties via other reporting methods, and default to established processes and response measures according to applicable laws.
How is student information protected?
Safe+Sound Iowa reports are kept confidential and are not subject to disclosure under Iowa open records laws. Threat report information is only shared with designated school staff and law enforcement with a right and need to know to address reported concerns.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS?
If you have questions about the contact form or the app, please contact:
Matthew Anderson- Bureau Chief
Governor's School Safety Bureau
Iowa Department of Public Safety
Eric St Clair - Legislative Liaison
lowa Department of Education
Regardless of whether your district chooses to use this free school safety technology, we know you will still want to be notified when a threat impacts one of your schools. For that reason, the Governor's School Safety Bureau is asking all schools to complete this School Safety Contact Form.