Since the “Safe2Say Something PA” program was put into effect two years ago, more than 40,000 tips have been filed from across the state, including more than 2,500 from the unit that encompasses Butler County.

Safe2Say was created as a violence-prevention program that allows students and teachers to anonymously send reports about threats, bullying, drugs and self-harm.

Butler County schools are a part of Midwestern Intermediate Unit 4, which also houses schools from Mercer and Lawrence counties.

In the first year of the program, the 2018-19 school year, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office reported that 23,494 reports were made, 1,306 in Midwestern Intermediate Unit 4.

From July to March of the 2019-20 school year, the program was on pace to receive 37,000 reports statewide, easily eclipsing the previous year’s mark.

After the state mandated schools be closed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, the reports slowed down.

While Safe2Say Something was on pace for 37,000 reports, the Attorney General’s office reported the program’s total for the year was only 23,745.

Locally, Pat Sarnese, the director of school police and transportation at the South Butler County School District, said most of the tips the program gets come from students.

“If we were at school (last year) I think I would’ve received more,” Sarnese said.

David McDeavitt, superintendent of the Allegheny-Clarion Valley School District, said he encourages students to talk to trusted adults or call 911 if the situation calls for it, in addition to using the Safe2Say line.

“We tell our kids that 911 has worked for 100 years, and it’ll work for 100 more,” McDeavitt said.

McDeavitt said going to someone directly can be more effective for students than using the tip line, which channels reports through the program’s crisis center before alerting either school administrators or local authorities.

Even though the number of reports being made dwindled, the annual report put out by the Attorney General’s Office revealed that the percentage of reports pertaining to self-harm and suicidal ideation increased.

From July, 2019, to March 13 of this year, 17 percent of reports to the program were about self-harm or suicidal ideations. From March 13 through June, that number jumped to 37 percent of all reports.

Despite the percentage increase, Sarnese said he did not find the reports of self-harm and suicide ideation any more alarming than normal.

“I think the percentage could be skewed because there were no normal calls coming in,” Sarnese said.

“Teachers aren’t seeing them, and they’re mostly just dealing with their friends, they aren’t dealing with 200 other kids.”

According to the Attorney General’s reports, the percentage of reports about self-harm and suicidal ideations actually went down in Midwestern Intermediate Unit 4 from 2018-19 to 2019-20.

During the 2018-19 school year, the unit had 139 reports about self-harm (10.6 percent of all reports) and 87 reports about suicidal ideations (6.7 percent).

For this past school year, Midwestern Intermediate Unit 4 had 99 reports about self-harm (8.2 percent) and 83 about suicidal ideations (7.3 percent).

Sarnese said reports at South Butler fell across the board.

With South Butler returning to in-person instruction this fall, Sarnese said he expects the number of reports, of all kinds, to return to normal.

McDeavitt said there’s a link on A-C Valley’s website where students can directly contact two school nurses and two counselors with any concerns.

A-C Valley will be offering both face-to-face and remote learning options this fall, with plans in place to change to a staggered schedule in case the region’s COVID-19 situation worsens.