Frequently Asked Questions

When did the Missouri School Violence Hotline begin? Who funds it? 
The Missouri School Violence Hotline began in October of 2001. The School Violence is funded through the Missouri Department of Public Safety and the Missouri Juvenile Justice Advisory Group from funding provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Is the hotline a statewide service? Does it cover any community in the state? 
Yes, the School Violence Hotline is a hotline for all of the state of Missouri. The School Violence Hotline will take calls concerning any school in Missouri, both public and private. 

How does the School Violence Hotline work? What happens with the calls? 
The hotline accepts calls, gathers information concerning the incident of school violence, and the data is entered into a centralized database. The information is then phoned and faxed to local law enforcement and to school officials. Local law enforcement and school district officials determine how to most appropriately handle these reports. 

Who can call the hotline? 
Anyone can call the hotline. The School Violence Hotline accepts calls from students, parents, school personnel, and concerned citizens. 

Does the caller have to give their name? 
No, callers can be anonymous. However, if callers would like follow up from their local law enforcement and their local school, they should leave their name. 

Who does the School Violence Hotline get the most calls from? 
Concerned parents make up the majority of our reporters. We also take calls from students, teachers, principals, and others in the community who are concerned about school violence. 

When someone calls the hotline are they speaking to a real person?
The School Violence Hotline is staffed Monday thru Friday from 7am to 6pm. During these hours of operation, dispatchers answer calls and gather information to send reports. There is a recording for after hours. If a caller leaves a message with a phone number, a dispatcher will call them the next morning. If someone is calling after 6pm and the incident of school violence requires immediate attention, callers are encouraged to contact their local law enforcement. 

What does the hotline take reports on? What makes up a typical report? 
The Missouri School Violence Hotline takes reports of any violence occurring on school property. We take reports on weapons being brought to school, fights and assaults, threats, sexual misconduct, bullying, property damage, and theft. We also take reports that occur on the school bus. We get the most reports on threats, bullying, and fights and assaults. 

If I called the hotline, what information would I be required to give? 
A dispatcher would ask for the names and identifiers of the victims and suspects involved in the incident of school violence. They would also ask for the name of the school and the city where the incident has occurred. Dispatchers ask questions about the incident of school violence: where did it occur, when did it happen, were there any witnesses who saw it? Dispatchers try to obtain as much information as possible so that a complete report can be sent to local school officials and law enforcement. 


Has the Missouri School Violence Hotline taken a lot of calls? 
In the first year of operation, from October 2001 to September 2002, the Missouri School Violence Hotline took close to 250 reports. These reports came from all over the state, from large cities and rural communities. 

How have schools and law enforcement agencies been made aware of the hotline? 
The School Violence Hotline has attended conferences, sent out flyers, had articles printed in newsletters, and has mailed promotional items. Many schools throughout the state have ordered pencils, magnets, posters, and business cards with the School Violence Hotline phone number on them. Some schools print the School Violence Hotline phone number in the student handbooks or in their school calendars. 

What has the response been from law enforcement? 
Law Enforcement has been very positive about the Missouri School Violence Hotline. We’ve talked to many School Resource Officers who see the hotline as a good thing. They’ve ordered posters to put up in the schools where they work. They’ve ordered pencils and magnets to distribute to students. 

Is there any follow-up? How do you know if a situation is resolved? 
The School Violence Hotline does conduct 30 days surveys, but the surveys are designed to make sure the hotline itself is working. Some of the questions we ask are if our dispatcher was professional and courteous when speaking to the caller, the school, to local law enforcement. We ask if the situation improved, stayed the same, or became worse. We ask how reporters, schools, and law enforcement would rate us. We also ask for any suggestions on how we can improve ourselves. The School Violence Hotline is an information-gathering tool. We are not an investigative unit; we give reports to local schools and law enforcement. They are the ones that determine what will be done with the information in the report. But we are a public service, and we want to make sure we’re doing the best job we can in gathering information and sending it out. The surveys are a tool the School Violence Hotline uses to improve ourselves. As for finding out if a situation has been resolved, we encourage our callers to contact the school and law enforcement for any questions they may have regarding the incident they reported.