Safe2Tell Empowers Young People to Keep Their Community Safe.
We take reports any time, any day of the year from students or other community members who are concerned about their safety or the safety of others.
Overview of Safe2Tell
Safe2Tell was founded on the idea that early intervention is the key to preventing violence and saving lives. The program promotes early intervention by serving as a relay of information between people submitting reports and local multidisciplinary teams, such as schools and law enforcement agencies.
Research and Publications
Safe2Tell is a national model for anonymous state-run school safety reporting lines. We were founded on the premise that students need an additional resource to break the code of silence and report when sharing with a trusted adult is too challenging. We have served as a model and provided assistance in other states and districts setting up their own reporting/tip lines. Below are a few publications that mention Safe2Tell as a best practice.
Best Practice
Columbine Commission Report (2001), Governor Bill Owens’ Columbine Review Commission (PDF)
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Best Practice
Arapahoe High School Shooting Report (2016), Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (PDF)
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Best Practice
Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model: An Operational Guide for Preventing Targeted School Violence (2018), U.S. Secret Service (PDF)
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Best Practice
Attorney General Formal Opinion on FERPA (2018), Colorado Attorney General (PDF)
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Best Practice
Final Report of the Federal Commission on School Safety (2018), Federal Commission on School Safety(PDF)
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Best Practice
Protecting America’s Schools: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Targeted School Violence (2019), U.S. Secret Service (PDF)
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Best Practice
Averting Targeted School Violence: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Plots Against Schools (2021), U.S. Secret Service (PDF)
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Best Practice
Colorado School Safety: A Legal Manual (2022), Colorado Attorney General (PDF)
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Best Practice
Improving School Safety Through Bystander Reporting (2023), U.S. Secret Service(PDF)
DownloadSafe2Tell Partners
Colorado Information Analysis Center (CIAC)
The Colorado Information Analysis Center (CIAC) serves as the state’s fusion center, a multidisciplinary, multi-agency network of professionals from private sector, local, state, tribal and federal partners conducting analysis and sharing information to prevent, protect and respond to crimes and potential or actual acts of terrorism. CIAC, in the Colorado Department of Public Safety, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, partners with the Colorado Department of Law to answer and disseminate reports. Safe2Tell analysts engage with the reporting parties in a two-way dialog to maximize the information available for follow-up. As appropriate, analysts directly connect or refer to the appropriate mental health partners as needed and distribute the information immediately to local responders.
Safe Communities Safe Schools (SCSS)
The Safe Communities Safe Schools (SCSS) Model was established by the University of Colorado Boulder’s Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, in partnership with the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, following the Columbine High School tragedy in 1999. The Model integrates key recommendations from the 2001 Columbine Review Commission’s Report, the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Youth Violence, and both prevention and implementation science. The SCSS Model offers schools and communities a strategic planning process to improve safety and create better learning environments by choosing prevention programs and practices and policies tailored to the specific needs of their school. The SCSS Model also builds the necessary infrastructure and supportive environment to implement these programs successfully.
Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV)
The Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) is housed within the University of Colorado Boulder’s Institute of Behavioral Science.
988 Colorado Mental Health Line
988 is a national network of local contact centers offering free and confidential assistance to people feeling overwhelmed, panicked, or out of control, to experiencing suicidal thoughts or anything in between. Dial 988 and get connected with a trained specialist. When you text 988, you’ll be connected with a trained specialist. Texting is available in both English and Spanish. Live chat is available on the national 988 website in both English and Spanish.
Colorado Department of Education (CDE)
The Colorado Department of Education provides leadership, resources, support and accountability to the state’s districts, schools, teachers and administrators. CDE supports Safe2Tell in aligning its messaging to be aligned with diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and helps assign a student to a school when the school is unknown by the person submitting the report.
Colorado Office of School Safety
The Colorado Office of School Safety is committed to creating secure learning environments across Colorado. Through its three units — School Safety Resource Center, Safe2Tell Colorado, and the Colorado School Safety Hotline — the office partners with schools, law enforcement, and community organizations to support safe schools statewide.