August 22, 2023 – As students across the state venture back to the classroom, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security, along with local law emergency management agencies, are urging guardians to teach their students about resources they can use if they feel unsafe, including a tool called Safe2HelpIL.
“School safety includes being aware of on-campus hazards, but we also need to utilize the digital resources available to us,” Alicia Tate-Nadeau, the Homeland Security Advisor to Gov. JB Pritzker said in a press release. “Safe2HelpIL is an outstanding start in providing a free resource to all students throughout the State of Illinois to help keep them safe.”
The safety platform allows students to report potentially threatening situations in the absence of a trusted adult. Accessible online, via phone, text, email and a mobile app, the form asks for the school name and information about the incident, intended to be used when a student or someone they know feels unsafe. Once the information is submitted, Safe2HelpIL will report the information to a school administrator or notify emergency services, if the situation is life-threatening.
IEMA-OHS officials said the platform can be used to report bullying, mental health struggles, drug use, violence and more. Safe2HelpIL can be used anonymously by elementary through high school students, and students can share their name and contact information if they’d like an official to follow up.
Aside from the new tool, EMA leaders said guardians should know how their child’s school or university will contact them in case of an emergency, ensure appropriate contact information is on file, sign up for alerts if their child’s school offers them, and teach their students about strategies to check if an incident occurs. ‘Text First, Talk Later’ is a key strategy in case of an emergency: simple text messages such as “R U OK” and “I’m OK” are more likely to get through than a call if phone service is disrupted.
To learn more about Safe2HelpIL, click HERE. To access the reporting portal, click HERE, call 1-844-4SAFEIL (723345), text SAFE2 (72332), email HELP@Safe2HelpIL.com or download the Safe2HelpIL app.
