OXFORD, MISS., August 21, 2007 — Using local funds as well as those provided by a Federal Government program known as ‘Title IV – Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act,’ the Franklin County School District has chosen to introduce AnComm’s ‘Talk About It®’ anonymous online and text based reporting and emergency notification service to students, faculty, administrators and counselors for the 2007-2008 school year. The Franklin County School District is the first school system in the state of Georgia to roll-out the innovative anonymous online communications service — joining more than 100 schools across the nation already using AnComm’s ‘Talk About It®’ as the centerpiece of their school safety strategies — to bridge the communication gap between students and faculty.
“AnComm’s ‘Talk About It®’ anonymous online communication service gives us an innovative way of reaching out to our students in a form that is familiar and comfortable to them – the Web. It also provides us with a tool to disseminate emergency communications and alerts to students, faculty, parents and guardians via e-mail and text messaging,” said Dr. Ruth O’Dell, Superintendent, Franklin County Schools. “By using monies from the Department of Education’s Title IV – Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program as well as local funds, we are able to make this important investment in time for the 2007-2008 school year.”
The Department of Education’s ‘Title IV, the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act’ supports programs that prevent violence in and around schools and that are coordinated with related Federal, State, school, and community efforts and resources to foster a safe and drug-free learning environment that supports student academic achievement.
“'Talk About It’ is an affordable and highly effective early warning system which aids in the prevention of violence and helps foster a safer, more comfortable learning environment,” said Carter Myers, President of AnComm. “By putting the emphasis on improving communications between students and faculty rather than capital infrastructure, schools using AnComm’s ‘Talk About It®’ are seeing immediate results in improving their overall school culture. For the first time, students have the means to go online and connect with faculty and school counselors to seek help, guidance and resolution to their troubles.”
“We are very excited that our middle school students will have another vehicle to report bullying, weapons, and personal problems such as depression and loneliness. We know this will be another step in improving the climate and learning environment at FCMS,” said Lucy Floyd, Principal, Franklin County Middle School. Diane Toney, Principal at Franklin County High School, says “AnComm’s ‘Talk About It®’ anonymous communication service offers our students an innovative form to communicate that is familiar to them and gives each student every opportunity to get the assistance they need.”
AnComm’s ‘Talk About It®’ anonymous online and text based reporting service gives students a web-based portal to reach out and communicate various issues — breaking the ‘code of silence’ through anonymous communication. Through their school’s personalized ‘Talk About It’ online reporting center, students can log in — with their own confidential access code — and select a topic from a pull-down menu to send an anonymous online message to a designated faculty member anytime from any web-connected computer, PDA, wireless device or cell-phone. Once the message is sent, the faculty member receives a real-time notification prompting them to log into ‘Talk About It®’ and retrieve the student’s message and provide immediate help, guidance and counseling to the student. Because the online messages sent through AnComm’s ‘Talk About It®’ service are sent anonymously, students feel more comfortable communicating with school administrators, counselors and faculty about problems and issues without fear of retribution or embarrassment.
‘Talk About It’ will be made available at the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year to the more than 2,000 students in the following schools: Franklin County Middle School and Franklin County High School.
About AnComm’s ‘Talk About It®’
Developed by AnComm, ‘Talk About It’ is the nation’s first and only anonymous online reporting and emergency notification service for schools. Easy-to-use and implement, ‘Talk About It®’ is a preventative solution focused on bridging the communication gap between students and faculty to foster a safer, more comfortable learning environment. To learn how your educational institution can benefit from AnComm’s ‘Talk About It®’ anonymous online and text based reporting service, call 1 (866) 926-2666 or visit their web site at http://www.ancomm.com.
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