Florida School District Introduces Reporting App

Florida School District Introduces Reporting App

The more tools that students can use to alert authorities of potential violence, the better, according to Bay District Schools Chief of Safety and Security Mike Jones.

  • By Jessica Davis
  • December 14, 2018

Bay District Schools in Bay County, Fla., has introduced a new app called FortifyFL, which students can use to anonymously report potential threats they hear or see at school.

The app comes from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., earlier this year, which left seventeen dead.

Before introducing FortifyFL, Bay District Schools offered a similar tool called Friend Watch.

The more tools that students can use to alert authorities of potential violence, the better, according to Bay District Schools Chief of Safety and Security Mike Jones.

"I think it's very important that kids have several options. and this is a good one and it'll automatically alert law enforcement and we'll get the report after that," Jones told WJHG.

Jones said parents and guardians should talk to their children about appropriate use of the app, as he doesn’t want students to misuse it.

FortifyFL is different from School Guard, which is a tool that lets educators alert law enforcement if they see anyone armed on their campus.

The FortifyFL app is available in smartphone app stores.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

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