Derby public schools to use new safety tool

An anonymous tip line will give Derby Public Schools a new tool to try to keep students safe.

The school board approved implementing the “See Something, Say Something” program on a 6 to 0 vote at its Jan. 28 board meeting, entering into an agreement with the Wichita Metro Crime Commission, the Derby Police Department, the Wichita Police Department, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department and the cities of Derby and Wichita.

The program will allow people who are concerned about a threat to schools to call or text anonymously. Rewards will not be offered for tips. Tips can be submitted through the “P3 Tips” mobile app on smart phones. The Wichita Police Department will receive tips and forward them to the appropriate authorities and school personnel. The board approved the memorandum of understanding on the same day the school district received an anonymous tip through the Kansas School Safety Hotline about a potential school shooting at Derby High School. School administrators worked with the Derby Police Department to investigate the tip, determined to be unsubstantiated.