Carmel Schools Launches Anonymous Reporting App For Students

Carmel Clay Schools district joins several Indiana districts that use apps to promote school safety.

The district launched its new app, STOPIt, this week. It allows students to anonymously message school administrators and school resource police officers. Old anonymous alert systems could only message one way. STOPit lets administrators message students back.

Carmel schools Superintendent Michael Beresford was hired after the Noblesville West Middle School shooting and says school safety has been part of the conversation since his first day.

"So whenever you’re talking about school safety you’re talking about violence, you’re talking about mental health, you’re talking about student welfare, bullying and all of these things," Beresford says. 

Earlier this year, Carmel Clay Schools was one of many districts to accept free hand-held metal detectors from the state. This new app, Beresford says will tackle additional facets of school safety -- making students the eyes and ears on the ground.

"So we can’t just focus on one particular means to address school safety," Beresford says. "We have a pretty comprehensive approach, and we think this is a pretty important cog of that approach."

In recent months, Noblesville schools and Hancock County schools also debuted similar apps.