This fall, many Delaware schools will launch a new School Safety and Wellness Suite that incorporates a comprehensive approach to alert administrators of serious situations while providing students with the necessary tools and resources to prevent or deter a situation from escalating.
“In an emergency, the timeliness of help is critical. I’m excited this platform will make it easier and faster to access wellness resources and reach immediate support in a crisis,” Secretary of Education Mark Holodick said.
The first part of the program is SAFE DE, an anonymous reporting app that includes crisis texting, mental health education, and other resources. Available to all public and charter schools, SAFE DE enables students to communicate directly with a help center and school officials in times of need, including direct access to a “Crisis Text Line.” The goal is to improve school safety by helping identify and intervene with those at risk of harming themselves or others. Students can come forward to voice a concern or ask for help for themselves or a friend in need without the stress of having to self-identify.
The second component of the suite encompasses threat assessment and suicide risk assessment models combined with staff training. Delaware’s Comprehensive School Safety Program (CSSP) has chosen evidence-based models to provide students and staff with the same standardized process throughout the entire state.
The third piece is a case management system that stores and tracks critical information as a student proceeds in their K-12 education. The goal is to ensure that no student slips through the cracks and fails to get the care and services they may need.
“The safety and well-being of Delaware residents, especially our students, is our number one priority. This technology, which is linked to subject matter experts, ensures our students have the best resources available when it is needed most. We encourage our students, parents, and educators to utilize these resources,” said Secretary of Safety and Homeland Security Nathaniel McQueen, Jr.
Currently, many of Delaware’s 19 school districts and charter schools – over 83,000 students or more than half of the state’s 140,000 total enrollment – have onboarded and are implementing the new program. Efforts to onboard the remainder of Delaware schools could mean Delaware would be among the first states with the highest adoption rate for this new safety and wellness platform by the start of the school year.
“SAFE DE and these comprehensive safety and wellness tools are one of a number of initiatives the DEMA Comprehensive School Safety Program has brought to the community to help lower risk,” said A.J. Schall, Director of the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA). “I appreciate the partnerships built to make sure this is available to all public and charter schools in Delaware.”
Research indicates many school safety issues might be prevented if issues and concerns are brought forward. The Centers for Disease Control reports suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 10 to 24 and this rate increased 52 percent from 2000 to 2021. According to the U.S. Secret Service, “targeted school violence is preventable when communities report concerning behaviors and intervene,” and “in two-thirds of attacks there was at least one communication (or other observed concerning behavior)… that was not reported by the bystander who observed it.” By normalizing the process of asking for help, SAFE DE aims to improve a school’s ability to assess and manage threats of violence and suicide.
