New App For Reporting Threats In Chatham Schools

CHATHAM, NJ - A new app that will allow the anonymous reporting of threats to the Morris County Sheriff's Office, according to School District of the Chathams Superintendent Michael LaSusa.

The anonymous tip application program to will enable students or parents to report potential acts of violence. The program is called “RSVP-3 Morris County, NJ” and may be downloaded in either the Google Play store or the Apple Store. The app allows the reporter to report a potential act of violence anonymously.

"Said report will be received immediately by local law enforcement and forwarded on to designated school personnel if the act concerns a student or school," LaSusa said.

In concert with this program, one of the district staff members, Dr. Evan Jaffe, along with local police personnel, have been trained in the Behavioral Threat Assessment Model, LaSusa said.

"This is a method of assessing potential threats developed by the Department of Homeland Security and the United States Secret Service," LaSusa said.

According to authorities, the Behavioral Threat Assessment Model promotes communication and identification of risk factors between school staff, faculty, and students, so that a BTAM team can be notified of a student who may be at risk of committing violence before it occurs. A trained BTAM team will be able to assess the level of concern and suggest interventions for the student. This model differs from others in its preventative rather than reactive nature, and by also promoting supportive, rather than disciplinary, intervention techniques.

"Our goal in utilizing this program is to prevent any potential violent or criminal act," LaSusa said. "If you are so inclined, please download the 'RSVP-3 Morris County, NJ' app at your convenience."

The reporting features of the app are scheduled to go live on Sept. 1.

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