PublicEngines Launches Platform, Apps for Anonymous Incident Reporting

  • By Tim Sohn
  • 01/24/13

PublicEngines has unveiled a platform and mobile apps that allow students to anonymously report suspicious activities such as bullying, drug and weapon possession, and potential suicides. Announced this week, TipSoft for Education and mobile app TipSubmit Mobile, are available now.

TipSoft for Education is a cloud-based application that provides the tools for students to securely report school-related incidents to administrators, which can then be passed on to Crime Stoppers, law enforcement agencies, or others if necessary. After the initial report is made, students and administrators can continue to communicate through the platform and apps for additional evidence gathering and questioning. TipSoft also provides incident management and reporting tools for administrators.

Features of TipSoft for Education include:

  • Unlimited message length;
  • The option for students to submit anonymous reports online, through text-messaging, or Android or iOS apps;
  • SSL encryption of messages, which are saved on software-as-a-service 70-compliant servers;
  • The ability to geo-tag and attach videos and images;
  • Tracking of each tip by status and priority; and
  • Tools for administrators to create offense types, input notes, and use keywords to tag tips.

In addition, TipSoft allows school districts to deliver text-message or e-mail emergency alerts to teachers, students, and parents from the online platform or mobile apps. TipSoft provides alert sign-up forms that can be embedded onto district Web sites, and messages can also be automatically posted on district Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Schools in Douglas County, CO, have deployed TipSoft.

"Colorado has taken a very proactive stance to improve the safety of students in our schools. As part of this effort, Douglas County implemented TipSoft from PublicEngines, and we've received important tips about weapons, fights, and drugs. However, the biggest surprise from implementing TipSoft has been in suicide prevention. As of December 2012, we have been able to save 11 lives as a result of confidential information received through TipSoft,” said Phyllis Harvey, Douglas County coordinator for Youth Education and Safety in Schools, in a prepared statement.

For more information, visit publicengines.com.

About the Author

Tim Sohn is a 10-year veteran of the news business, having served in capacities from reporter to editor-in-chief of a variety of publications including Web sites, daily and weekly newspapers, consumer and trade magazines, and wire services. He can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @editortim.

Featured

  • classroom scene with students gathered around a laptop showing a virtual tour interface

    Discovery Education Announces Spring Lineup of Free Virtual Field Trips

    This Spring, Discovery Education is collaborating with partners such as Warner Bros., DC Comics, National Science Foundation, NBA, and more to present a series of free virtual field trips for K-12 students.

  • glowing padlock shape integrated into a network of interconnected neon-blue lines and digital nodes, set against a soft, blurred geometric background

    3 in 4 Administrators Expect a Security Incident to Impact Their School This Year

    In an annual survey from education identity platform Clever, 74% of administrators admitted that they believe a security incident is likely to impact their school system in the coming year. That's up from 71% who said the same last year.

  • horizontal stack of U.S. dollar bills breaking in half

    ED Abruptly Cancels ESSER Funding Extensions

    The Department of Education has moved to close the door on COVID relief funding for schools, declaring that "extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion."

  • pattern of icons for math and reading, including a pi symbol, calculator, and open book

    HMH Launches Personalized Path Solution

    Adaptive learning company HMH has introduced HMH Personalized Path, a K-8 ELA and math product that combines intervention curriculum, adaptive practice, and assessment for students of all achievement levels.