App lets LAUSD students, parents and teachers report suspicious activity anonymously

Drug use, graffiti, hidden weapons, threatening messages, these are all safety issues that LAUSD students navigate on school campuses, but often aren’t sure of the best way to report without facing potential retaliation or harassment.

Now there’s an app for that.

The newly launched Los Angeles Schools Anonymous Reporting (LASAR) mobile application (in the Apple Store and Google Play) allows all members of the school community — including support staff, teachers, parents and students — to anonymously report suspicious activity in real time.

While 911 remains the best point of contact for emergencies, the LASAR app can be used to call for help in response to a broad range of dangers and concerns ranging from mental health incidents, to property damage, to criminal activity.

Users open the app, fill out a report, choose whether to attach images or videos and decide whether they wish to provide their contact information.

These reports are immediately sent to a watch commander who triages the incidents and deploys an appropriate response such as L.A. School Police Officers, psychiatric social workers or maintenance workers.

The hope is that the application will encourage more people to report incidents, while creating a centralized database and response system for schools to track and solve campus safety problems.

“One of the most impactful benefits of this app is that it leverages the proactive efforts of school communities to stand up to suspicious behaviors and acts of violence without the fear of retaliation by simply submitting an anonymous report for real-time responses,” said Alfonzo Webb, senior director for school operations, at a recent LAUSD board meeting.

Board members enthusiastically embraced the application as a 21st century solution to the realities of 21st century dangers on campus, including an increase in gun violence and overdoses.

“As drugs and fentanyl make their way into our schools, we need all creative solutions to protect our students and keep drugs off our campuses,” said LAUSD Board President Jackie Goldberg in a written statement. “The launch of an app that allows our school community to anonymously report any concerns or tips is part of a multi-pronged approach to keep our students safe.”

Campus safety and the role of school police has been an intense topic of debate in LAUSD in recent years.

In 2020, the school board voted to slash the school police budget by 35% in response to concerns that officers were criminalizing Black students and impacting those students’ ability to focus on school. Then in 2021, the board voted to end the practice of stationing an officer on all middle school and high school campuses and instead based the officers at nearby off-campus locations.

While some advocates continue to call for further defunding of the school police, some parents say schools have become more dangerous and they want to see the return of officers on campus.

The LASAR application is one of several mobile platforms that the district has rolled out, or is in the process of rolling out, to improve campus safety, the dissemination of information, and the delivery of school services.

The district also recently released a second safety application, called the Emergency Response App, specifically for staff to report active assailant incidents. This application is intended for use in a scenario that may be dangerous or challenging to place a 911 call. It allows staff to text details regarding an ongoing emergency.

“I know that we’ve all been traumatized by the horrific act of assailant incidents in school communities across our country,” said Webb in the March 7 meeting. “The devastating impacts of school violence have lasting effects and we must remain vigilant and prevent our children and staff from becoming victims at all costs.”

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In addition to these two safety applications, the district is also developing a third app for parents to access student records, called the LAUSD Mobile App 3.0, and a fourth app to serve as a virtual help desk for everyday staff and parent inquiries, called the LAUSD Self-Service Portal. Both of these applications will be rolled out by the end of April.

During the LAUSD Board meeting, Boardmember Nick Melvoin raised concerns about the multiple applications being confusing and burdensome for parents, who also use several apps to access their children’s school accounts such as Seesaw and Schoology.

“My concern is that we’ve gone from no apps to way too many apps,” he said. “Is there a way to integrate?”

Antonio Plascencia, director of student, family and community engagement, told Melvoin that all of the applications that parents already use to access their children’s accounts could likely be integrated into the upcoming LAUSD Mobile App 3.0. Plascencia also said that the district will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the four LAUSD apps over time and adapt them accordingly.