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Committee hears presentation on Safe Schools Maryland anonymous reporting system amid privacy questions
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Summary
The subcommittee heard from the Center for School Safety about Safe Schools Maryland, an anonymous tip system used across all 24 local school systems and more than 200 private/nonpublic special education facilities; presenters said tips are triaged by a 24/7 emergency-management center and that misuse appears low.
The K-12 Education Subcommittee convened a presentation on Safe Schools Maryland, an anonymous reporting system used by local education agencies, and discussed whether the state should codify the system and broaden its scope.
Chair introduced Kate Bridal from the Center for School Safety to explain the system. Bridal said Safe Schools Maryland has operated since 2018 and is available via phone, web form or smartphone app. Tips go to a 24/7 tip-taking center operated by the Department of Emergency Management; Bridal said that immediate, life-threatening tips are routed to law enforcement and the school, while non-immediate tips are routed to the school or school system for local investigation and closure.
Bridal said the state-level bill would codify the existence of a statewide system, create consistent guidelines for how school systems handle tips, and protect reports and reporters from public disclosure under the Public Information Act. She told the committee the system is used across all 24 local school systems and by slightly over 200 private and nonpublic special education facilities.
Delegate Delia Miller asked whether reporter protections would apply even in the case of false or malicious reports. Bridal said research and local experience show inappropriate use is low and that ‘‘I think it’s less than 3 percent now of tips are used to target or bully another individual.’’ Kim Buckheit added that school-based investigative procedures help minimize misuse. Bridal also said the bill would allow local jurisdictions to implement substantially similar systems and that public schools would be required to use the statewide system if the law passes; she and the chair discussed a possible amendment to require private schools that accept state funding to participate.
The chair thanked Bridal and Buckheit and said he might bring the bill back for a vote if he believes sufficient support exists. Advocates attended the hearing and the chair invited members to follow up with him after the meeting.
