The West Irondequoit School District is crediting its anonymous tip line for helping lead authorities to find and then question a student who allegedly made a threat against the school Sunday on social media.
Superintendent Jeff Crane says the district's "Safe School Helpline" was set up last year, and it worked exactly the way it needed to work.
"We've all heard if you see something, say something, but in addition if you are concerned about a youngster, for any reason, you use that phone line to get our attention specifically on your concern, so we can get all of the folks together who are responsible for providing a safe and positive environment for every single student and staff member," he said.
Crane says the call to the tip line came from another student.
He says after receiving the tip, the district immediately added additional security to places where students would be, including Sunday night's football game between Irondequoit and Victor.
Speaking in front of the school on Cooper Road, Irondequoit Police Chief Richard Tantalo said both the school, and the community, are safe.
"It really replicates the action items that people put into place to ensure that their children and our community is safe. So we feel very confident that we've mitigated this. We've worked through it," he said.
Superintendent Crane added that while the hotline worked, it's also important to make sure students have adults that they trust and are comfortable to talk to, beyond an anonymous phone line.
Superintendent Crane released this statement on September 25th:
“We understand the community’s concern and desire for more information following Monday’s news, and we know these are unique and unsettling circumstances. However, we cannot compromise state or federal education law that protects the privacy of every student by providing more detailed information about this situation.
Student misconduct is always addressed through the District’s Code of Conduct, which can be found on our website (for example, pages 17-18). The District has taken measures to address the safety of our students. As always, the safety of our students, staff and entire District community is our highest priority.”