Pub. 7 2017-2018 Issue 1

16 SAFE UT APP BY REPRESENTATIVE STEVE ELIASON Several years ago Senator Daniel and I sponsored legislation to create this app at the request of the Attorney General. Fast forward to today and now over 1,000 K-12 students use the app on a monthly basis to submit tips and seek crisis counseling from licensed clinical social workers. Last school year, thousands of tips were reported through the app ranging from drugs in schools, planned suicide attempts, and planned school attacks. One superintendent recently recounted an experience about a tip they received regarding a student who was planning to attack the school. They intercepted the boy at th e front door of the school and a gun was found in his backpack. Some of the subjects most frequently d iscussed through the crisis chat option include: • Alcohol • Bullying • Crime • Cutting • Depression • Fighting • Gangs • Guns • Planned School Attacks • Sexting • Suicide • Stealing • Unsafe Driving • Sexual Misconduct The widespread acceptance and use of this app is due to the confidential nature of the communication – they can use it at any time or any place, with complete confidentiality. Students are often willing to talk to a crisis counselor instead of a school counselor or parent due to embar- rassment or lack of access. Unfortunately, aside from one small rural school district, charter schools have had the least utilization and uptake of this app. I believe that this is in no way T he SAFE UT Crisis Text and Tip App is a statewide service that provides real-time crisis intervention to youth through texting and a confidential tip program from a smartphone. Licensed clinicians at the University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute Crisis Center (UNI) respond to all incoming chats, texts, and calls by providing supportive or crisis counseling, suicide prevention, and referral services. The crisis center is staffed 24/7 year-round by licensed clinical social workers that have been specially trained in how to help youth that are in crisis. UNI’s goal is to help any student with emotional crises, bullying, relationship problems, mental health, or suicide related issues.