Seattle schools to deploy threat reporting system for school safety
SEATTLE — Seattle Public Schools students and staff will soon be able to report school threats quickly through a new program funded by a federal grant.
Starting this fall, SPS will begin to implement the SaferWatch app and computer program. The goal is for students and staff to report any threats before they escalate by flagging suspicious activity through the app, a text, or online.
In the wake of a deadly private school shooting in Minneapolis, parent Tony Mantalto says students are often the first to know about a threat, typically through social media.
“Sadly, after each school shooting you hear people come forward and say, ‘We knew about this,’ or, ‘We heard this piece or that piece,” Montalto explained.
He’s the father of Gina Montalto. She was 14 years old and among the 17 people killed in the Parkland school massacre in Florida in 2018.
“Someplace she should have been safe,” Montalto said.
As president of Stand with Parkland, he said the advocacy group is partnering with Seattle Public Schools to implement a new threat reporting system that can be used by phone or computer. SaferWatch can connect schools directly with law enforcement, has mobile panic alerts, anonymous tip reporting and live video feeds.
April Schentrup moved her family to the Seattle area after her daughter was killed in Parkland. Carmen was a high school senior with plans of attending the University of Washington or the University of Florida.
“She wanted to become a medical researcher and cure ALS. [She was] a daughter that any parent would be proud of, and we were absolutely proud of her,” Schentrup told KOMO News. “Tragically, Carmen’s not here anymore and I don’t want that to happen to any other parent.”
Schentrup informed SPS about Stand with Parkland and Saferwatch after deadly shootings in recent years at Seattle’s Ingraham and Garfield high schools.
“I think that SaferWatch is a great compromise to having quick access to law enforcement, but not having law enforcement within the schools directly,” she added.
The SaferWatch monitoring center operates 24-7. It’s deployed and has been used, officials say, to investigate threats at school districts in Florida.
“We’re not trying to punish or incarcerate people,” Montalto stated. “We’re trying to keep people safe and that’s what we need to do. We need to look out for one another.”
SPS Acting Superintendent Fred Podesta in a statement to Stand with Parkland wrote, in part, “The ability for real-time, two-way communication during emergencies empowers our staff, students, and families to respond swiftly and stay informed.”
