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OK2SAY Tips Correlate With Safer Schools, Lives Saved
Highest Number of Reported Concerns in Program History
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 22, 2024
LANSING, MICH. Michigan’s nationally recognized student safety program, OK2SAY, has surpassed its highest ever incident reporting period since launching nearly 10 years ago, according its 2023 Annual Report. OK2SAY empowers anyone to confidentially report criminal activities or threatening behaviors directed at Michigan students, schools, and school employees. The 2023 annual report shows a 31% increase in reports made compared to 2022.
“As we see increasing reports of suicide, bullying, drugs, assault, and self-harm, we must keep investing in mental support for our kids,” said Governor Whitmer. “Michigan’s OK2SAY programs focuses on violence intervention and prevention to keep kids safe at home, at school, and in the community. We know that lives have been saved, school violence has been prevented, and many Michigan students have received the support they need because of the OK2SAY program and the record, bipartisan investments we have made in campus safety and mental health. Together, let’s keep prioritizing our kids and ensure they have the support they need to thrive.”
The 2023 OK2SAY Annual Report shows the program received 9,686 tips spanning 30 categories, with the top five being:
- Bullying – 1,769 tips
- Suicide – 1,482 tips
- Drugs – 1,286 tips
- Sexual assault/misconduct /exploitation – 815 tips
- Threats (e.g., an expression intended to cause pain or injury to a specific individual rather than a school building) – 741 tips
Other findings include 24 tips involving the confiscation of weapons and 77 tips resulting in the seizure of drugs or alcohol. Additionally, 236 schools conducted a comprehensive behavioral threat assessment and/or a suicide assessment because of an OK2SAY tip.
“The Michigan State Police is proud of the positive impact OK2SAY is having in improving safety within our schools,” said Col. James F. Grady II, director of the MSP. “OK2SAY is more than a hotline. It is a lifeline. The willingness of students to step up and speak out when they are concerned about their safety or the safety of another is making a profound and positive difference.”
OK2SAY is available 24/7 and tips can be submitted in the following ways:
Michigan law requires every public and nonpublic school to provide the MSP with at least one school official’s emergency contact information biannually. Contact information can be reported or updated here.
OK2SAY program outreach is housed within the MSP Grants and Community Services Division, Office of School Safety (OSS). The OSS is committed to delivering quality services to schools that promote safe and secure learning environments to reduce threats, build trust, and improve the quality of life for K-12 students in Michigan. Created under the authority of Public Act 435 of 2018, the OSS works in partnership with the Michigan Department of Education to do the following:
- Assist in the development of model practices for school safety and engage with local law enforcement agencies to assess school buildings for which emergency operations plans are being developed.
- Seek and apply for federal funds relating to school safety and reducing violence and disruptions in schools.
- Provide staff support to the School Safety Commission, which is responsible for making recommendations to the OSS.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Ms. Mary Gager Drew, OK2SAY Program Administrator, MSP Grants and Community Services Division, 517-388-6149
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