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Averill Park to roll out 24/7 anonymous reporting and mental‑health app for grades 4–12
Summary
District staff described plans to implement the Help Me app (powered by Stop It Solutions) to provide anonymous, 24/7 reporting and access to counselors for students and families, and trustees asked about data, mandated‑reporting procedures and local follow‑up.
The Averill Park Central School District is moving forward with a 24/7 anonymous reporting and mental‑health support app called Help Me (powered by Stop It Solutions), district staff said at the board meeting. Staff described Help Me as an app that offers resource listings, a text‑line connection to trained counselors and an anonymous reporting pathway that is monitored around the clock.
District presenters said the app’s continuous monitoring and counselor access are the main reasons for adopting it now. They told the board the district’s goal is to have Help Me active for students in grades 4–12 after the February break, and that grant funding will cover the initial cost.
Board members and community speakers asked how after‑hours reports would be handled, who would be notified, and how the district will coordinate anonymous tips with local crisis services and mandated‑reporting obligations. A trustee asked whether the 24/7 monitoring line would escalate life‑threatening calls to local emergency services; staff said after‑hours reports can be routed to an external monitoring line and, depending on severity, diverted to 911 or local crisis responders. Trustees also pressed for clarity on data handling, how the district will connect students and families to local ongoing services and who would be the internal designees for follow up.
Administrators said the district will schedule training for staff, provide materials for families and students, and work with people who have prior implementation experience. The board heard that Evan Clouder, identified in the meeting as the district’s newest administrator and high school assistant principal, took part in implementing the program in his previous district; Kate Dorgan was named as the staff member who will oversee the rollout locally.
Trustees asked for a demonstration of the app before it goes live, and multiple board members requested detail on the district’s protocol for mandated reporting, data retention, and the chain of notification after an anonymous report is submitted. District staff agreed to return with more specifics and to coordinate a demo or walkthrough with the vendor.
The board did not take a formal vote on the implementation during this meeting; staff characterized the item as a planned rollout covered by grant funds and asked the board to note the timeline and next steps for training and parent information.
