Courage 2 Report continues on
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KQTV) -- A Missouri hotline encouraging students and school staff to report concerning behaviors has experienced a growth in its services since partnering with the Missouri State Highway Patrol in 2019.
Courage2Report, previously known as the Missouri School Violence Hotline, began in October 2001.
The organization's partnership with MSHP allows the system to be accessible 24/7 via multiple communication channels, with the goal of making schools safer by helping districts and law enforcement learn about school violence as soon as possible.
Some of the more common reports seen recently, according to those within the organization, are assault reports or suicide concerns.
“Kids are talking to each other more and maybe feeling more comfortable telling their friends that, hey, I'm feeling this way. But with those kinds of phone calls, or those kinds of tips, we make an immediate phone call to law enforcement,” said Dakota Boehmer, School Safety Analyst Supervisor with Courage2Report. “(That’s so) we can get that while being checked on that child. And if they need interventions, mental health-wise, they're able to provide that as well.”
This system allows students, teachers, parents, guardians or anyone with information that a child may need assistance with a health or life-threatening issue, to report the situation anonymously.
The anonymous reports are geared toward steering away from social stigma. The organization said it recognizes that some minors may be hesitant to report out of fear of being a “snitch”.
“(Minors) do want to be able to be an upstander and prevent violence at their own school and in their community,” said Cindy Dudgeon, assistant director of the MSHP-MIAC, which helps run the organization. "(Anonymous reporting) gives them one way to do that, quickly and easily, whether they make a phone call to us or use the mobile app or the online forum, whichever way they choose, and we will respond to it.”
When Courage2Report receives a submission, operators classify the report by urgency, severity and how it can be handled.
The organization said not all reports lead to someone being detained, as it also looks at whether the person named needs assistance through counseling, school involvement, law enforcement involvement or help from community resources.
For those looking for the courage to contact Courage2Report, Boehmer shared that doing so is simply the right thing to do.
“It's not snitching. Reporting is actually helping. So if you have a friend that needs help, or you have a situation where you need a little bit of help from an adult with that, this coach report is a good way to do that, because, again, we don't disclose your information to the school administrators and law enforcement," said Boehmer.
There are multiple ways Missourians can use the Courage2Report system.
Reports can be made by visiting its website, calling 1-866-748-7047, texting C2R to 738477 to receive a link to a form, or downloading the app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
