Louisiana app allows students to report threats of violence at schools

LOUISIANA (KLFY) — A Louisiana nonprofit organization based in the New Orleans area is trying to prevent more threats and violence in the wake of unimaginable loss and tragedy in Winder, Georgia.

“Certainly sadness, shock and [it is] really just disheartening that we have to see this happening again and again in our nation,” said Darlene Cusanza, president and CEO of CrimeStoppers Inc. Greater New Orelans.

Their app, Safe Schools LA, allows students and teachers in 650 schools, including in Acadiana, to anonymously report tips.

“Whenever these terrible things happen, these shootings happen, let’s remind ourselves that we have services here. Let’s remind ourselves that we all play a role to speak up,” she said.

“We know that, regretfully, when children or students or concerned in possibly or a point where they’re threatening violence, they usually tell somebody else,” she continued.

As violence in schools is once again at the forefront of America’s mind, Cusanza believes reporting tips can save lives.

“When you hear about these shootings, usually there is a component where the child felt like they were bullied and whether they were bullied or abused in whatever situation, it’s usually over a longer-term period. You know, other kids witness that,” she said. “So it’s always having that conversation with the bystanders or those, you know, the witnesses, you know, don’t be silent.”

The Safe Schools LA app is a 24/7 live answering service. Operators vet tips, and send them to a team of school administrators, and then law enforcement if needed.

“Don’t ever just assume that, you know, you’re not going to intervene, or you can’t help,” Cusanza said.

She said in 20 years of the app, she’s seen it work — preventing possible school shootings and getting help for students dealing with mental health issues, abuse at home, drugs and bullying.

“Kids want to have power over their situations. They want to do the right thing. They want to feel like they have an opportunity to use their voice,” she said.

Multiple schools across Acadiana use the Safe Schools LA app, including schools in St. Martin, St. Mary, and Vermilion parishes.

The application is funded by the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security