District 54 launches online system to report bullying, other dangers

Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 has added an anonymous tip form to its website for students or parents to report bullying, cyberbullying, drugs, vandalism, weapons, self-harm or other threats.

The measure is welcome news to anti-bullying advocate Sandy Reeves of Hanover Park, who long argued that such a system was sorely needed in District 54.

Reeves said her daughter suffered bullying during her time in District 54, before she moved on to Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 where better measures to fight it were in place.

"I'm a firm believer that preventions and interventions need to be in place and used properly before another child, like ours, harms themselves or worse," Reeves said Monday. "Now maybe District 54 will listen to students and parents rather than brushing them off."

District 54 spokeswoman Terri McHugh said the new system for anonymous reporting may be similar to those used by surrounding districts but evolved internally.

"We were just looking for ways to support our kids," McHugh said.

McHugh said District 54 has not been blind to the dangers of bullying and has been enforcing its legally mandated anti-bullying policy.

The new system allows students or parents to use a series of drop-down menus to quickly specify what type of danger they're reporting and at which of the district's 28 schools it is occurring. Users can also add a more specific message and even upload a photo of what they're alerting the district about.

Since it went online Thursday, the district has received one report, regarding name-calling on a school bus, McHugh said.