Horry County Schools rolls out new safety reporting program
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Horry County Schools’ new safety reporting system started on Monday after the program was announced in an email on Friday that was sent to parents and guardians.
With the new system, students will be able to report any issue they have in real-time. The feature will be on elementary, middle and high school student’s computers and tablets given to them by the school.
“When they got back to school today on Monday, the teachers went over, they had to refresh their devices so that they could see it, so they were all given that information and was educated on that icon as well,” district spokesperson Lisa Bourcier said. “It’s red, so it’s very noticeable when they open up their computer devices.”
Bourcier also said the new feature will make it more convenient for students to report an issue.
“So, we’re always looking at ways that we can enhance our safety and security protocols and we know that reporting has been an issue on previous incidents,” she said. “So, we just want to make sure that it’s very convenient for our students to be able to make that decision.”
Students can click on the red icon and it will have multiple options on how to report information they have. They will have the option to report anonymously.
HCS parent Chrissie Catlla said she’s glad that students now have this option.
“It’s important that we give students additional ways to report, I think it helps with their willingness to report, you know, just a tip line or a trusted adult is not enough,” she said. “So, I’m happy to hear this.”
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Hannah Huffstickler is a multimedia journalist at News13. She joined the News13 team in January 2024 after graduating from Coastal Carolina University in December of 2023. Keep up with Hannah on Facebook and Instagram. You can also read more of her work here.
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