Morris School District Considers a Computerized Violence Reporting System

The is considering whether to put in place a new system that would let students at the high school report incidents of violence or bullying anonymously.

Last night, the district board of education heard a presentation about the computer system, called Safety-Net Interactive, during a board meeting at the in Morristown.

Safety-Net Interactive’s school software allows students to anonymously report possible threats of violence that they have heard over the Internet, via cell phone or in talking to others. Such threats would then be referred to school and law enforcement officials.

Linda Murphy, principal of , promoted the system, saying it would help keep the students there safer.

“We will be able to receive tips that something is going on or something may be going on so we can be proactive about getting ahead of the curve in terms of investigation of a possible incident at the high school or the possibility of a person hurting themselves or hurting someone else,” said Murphy.

Because the reporting would be done anonymously, it might help students feel comfortable enough to report issues they might otherwise be reluctant to discuss.

MHS Security Officer Donald Zsack said the system could be a big help to the MHS security team.

“Right now we are a purely reactionary security force,” said Zsack. “We react to what transpires. It is very rare we can get ahead of the action to prevent it. This could be a tool that will allow us to do that.”

The company is willing to let Morristown High School try out the program for free for a year both to let officials see how well it works and to use MHS as an example for other schools to follow.

Glenn Adamousky, the creator of Safety-Net Interactive, attended the meeting to answer questions. Accompanying him were Joseph Kovacs, the company’s director of training and education and a former school principal, and Steven Siegel, the director of its law enforcement division and a retired police captain.

Many of those on the board and in the audience seemed to favor the possibility of implementing this system. Still, others had concerns. Some questioned if the system will be truly anonymous. Others thought it will only cause more problems among students. Several people contended that this system could possibly become abused or be used as another means for cyber bullying.

Adamousky assured those at the meeting that all forms of personal information, including Internet addresses, would be eliminated before tips would be sent to the school principal, but some people were skeptical that the program would work.

Some people said the school just needs to create an atmosphere that makes children feel comfortable enough to come forward to discuss problems.

“It’s never that easy,” Kovacs said. “No matter if we like it or not, children don’t always go to their parents about things.”

While board members said they want to do all they can to keep the students safe, some were unsure if this program is the right way to go about it.

“I’m concerned with the physical and emotional safety of the children, but I want to make sure that this is the right tool, and want to make sure that it is the right approach,” said Nancy Bangiola, a board member. “We need to do research on this before we make a decision. There are plenty of consequences we need to keep in mind. I want to give you (Murphy) every tool you need, but I want to make sure it’s the right tool.”

District officials plan to study the matter further before making a decision on whether to implement the system.

On another matter, the board denied a rumor brought up by student representatives, Nikhil Shah and Marissa Zuckerman, both MHS students, that the high school’s honors program was being eliminated. Board members said that rumor is not true and the honors program will remain.