An anonymous reporting system is already playing a role for local school districts in its first month.

Safe2Say Something is a statewide program that went live Jan. 14 enabling students, teachers, school administrators and others to detect and report potential threats of violence and other problems before they happen.

In the program’s initial week, the reporting system has received 615 tips and calls from across Pennsylvania.

Bethlehem Area School District Superintendent Dr. Joseph Roy said Friday, “Thus far, we have received approximately 25 tips. None have been tips regarding a threat. About 15 have been tips from friends concerned about the well being of their friends in school - depression or concerns about self harm. Several tips have fallen into the cyberbullying category for follow up.”

Roy said Deputy Police Chief Todd Repsher has been hired as the coordinator of school safety, a new position that also acts as the point person for the Safe2Say program.

He said working with Repsher is a team of five administrators who receive any tips that come through the tip line. Then, depending on the tip, they are referred to the appropriate school principal to follow up. Tips that are deemed “life safety” tips by the analysts at the Attorney General’s office, which receives the tips, are also referred directly to 911.

Allentown Diocese Superintendent for Catholic Education Dr. Philip Fromuth said Safe2Say is not fully established in all his schools, but training continues and parents have been notified of its existence and uses. As yet, however, only a few tips have been received, offering no clear dangers or trends.

The same was reported by Saucon Valley Superintendend Craig Butler. As of Thursday, he had gotten only three tips from his high school; one regarding a management issue and two lief-safety tips. He said the latter each came late at night, after 10 p.m., but communication between himself, Harrisburg and local authorities took less than a half-hour.

“I was expecting more threat tips against the school or students, not just at Saucon, but it’s wonderful we haven’t seen that,” Butler said.

“Any action or step to help prevent self-harm is time well spent. I’m more than willing to take a call lat at night to facilitate getting someone help.”

The anonymous tip line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week in all Pennsylvania schools for students in grades six through 12. Anyone can use the tip line to submit an anonymous tip regarding persons who may be a threat to themselves and/or others. To submit a tip, people can call the hotline at 1-844-SAF2SAY (1-844-723-2729) or on their own phone through the Safe2Say app.

Tips go through the state Attorney General’s Office, where they are evaluated. Tips are sorted into two categories, life-threatening and non life-threatening, and are then forwarded to a designated team within the school district involved.

Weather postponements have played a role in delaying training for some districts. Panther Valley trained its fifth graders last week.

“My plan now, as long as the weather cooperates, is to have everybody trained by next Wednesday,” said Lisa Mace, Panther Valley Intermediate School principal and district Safe2Say coordinator. “I will be able to then provide data moving forward.”

Other districts have yet to see any Safe2Say tips.

“To my knowledge, we have not had any tips from the Safe2Say program,” said Jim Thorpe Superintendent Brian Gasper. “I compliment the Attorney General’s Office for their work with this program. Offering another outlet for our students to inform the administration and law enforcement of possible threats is a great thing.”

Roy said, “So far, I see great value in the tip line and the implementation and follow through on tips has been seemless from tip line to district to school, and including police if needed.”

Fromuth said, “The Safe2Say program is another resource to keep our schools and those we serve safe. We strive to develop and maintain healthy relationships with our students, so they are comfortable to recognize and report potential issues ... It is important to create an environment that if students see or know something, they will say something.”