VASHON ISLAND, Wash. - A new way to stop bullying and negative activity is at the tip of students' fingers. Several Western Washington schools are using a mobile app called Anonymous Alerts to allow students to report questionable activity anonymously.
"What makes it really unique is the ability for students to have a two-way private conversation about sensitive issues like bullying, depression, weapons on campus without fear of retribution by their peers," said Gregory Bender, the founder of Anonymous Alerts.
Bender says he was bullied as a kid and launched the app after the Sandy Hook shooting.
In Washington, Vashon Island School District and Manson School District are currently offering this mobile app to their students for free.
Vashon Island administrators said they like the way the app works. They've had a fair amount of reports, as well as a few false reports.
When a student submits a report, administrators and counselors receive the anonymous alert on their phone or email. Then they can follow up, investigate and track down any problems.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, 57% of students say they would not report an incident unless they could do it anonymously.
