The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) will use the Los Angeles Schools Anonymous Reporting (LASAR) mobile application to enable its school community to anonymously report instances of suspicious activity, mental health incidents, drug consumption, drug trafficking, vandalism, and safety issues from a smartphone.
“The LASAR app represents an additional safety tool at our disposal to protect our students and be a leader in responding to safety incidents such as the opioid crisis among teens,” Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said. “Student safety will always be our top priority. Along with the mental health support and social-emotional focus in our curriculum, the anonymous reporting app rounds out our holistic approach to making sure no other student is a victim of the growing opioid epidemic.”
When students or families anonymously report a non-emergency event and provide the location of the incident, the Los Angeles School Police Department (LASPD) will respond in partnership with Psychiatric Social Workers (PSW), other mental health support, and the law enforcement agency should the incident rise to that level. Though the app is by default anonymous, users have the option of providing brief contact information for the LASPD to follow up if additional details are needed.
“As drugs and fentanyl make their way into our schools, we need all creative solutions to protect our students and keep drugs off our campuses,” Board President Jackie Goldberg said. “The launch of an app that allows our school community to anonymously report any concerns or tips is part of a multi-pronged approach to keep our students safe.”
In addition to rolling out an app for parents and students, LAUSD is also using additional apps to promote school safety. In a press release, LAUSD highlights the LA Unified Emergency App for employees to report emergencies at school sites, the Enterprise HelpDesk that improves services to families, employees, and community members, and Mobile App 3.0/Parent Portal upgrade which gives parents and guardians a one-stop mobile/web portal to communicate and collaborate for better student outcomes.
“I am so proud that Los Angeles Unified has been proactive in creating a variety of applications that keep our students safe and supported and our families informed and able to get quick access to the resources they need,” Board Vice President Scott M. Schmerelson said. “This speaks to our ongoing commitment to put our students’ well-being front and center.”
