While many schools have moved to embrace student-use of wireless technology in
the learning environment, there are still those that prohibit student-use of
wireless devices or phones during class time.
For those schools that strictly prohibit wireless devices, students are able to
submit a report on a school desktop. However, many of schools still allow the
use or wireless devices at lunch,
between classes, and during extracurricular activities. Even when a student’s
opportunity to report bullying or other school-safety related matters is
limited, The BullyBøx allows for them to
submit a report at their first available opportunity. The BullyBøx makes
reporting easy, at any time, from any place.
Yes, indeed! While The BullyBøx, by name, is centered on the reporting of
bullying-related behaviors, it is designed to facilitate the reporting of any
school-safety issues.
Whether its physical, emotional, or cyberbullying, The BullyBøx provides
students a means by which to safely and anonymously report the incident(s). In
the same manner,
students have a safe and anonymous manner by which to report issues such as
pre-planned fights, weapons on the school campus, drug dealing/use, or any other
issues related to school safety.
There exists no limits on the types of reports that can be submitted via The
BullyBøx.
Between our launch in 2015 and up until 2021, The BullyBox was priced at $500
per school per year. However, as we've grown, we've realized that the best way
to keep students safe is to make the app
free to schools and students. Rather than sales to schools, we now rely on
grants to fund our expenses.
That said, we are now free to schools. Creating an account will full-functionality is quick, easy and free! There's no reason not to sign up here.
That said, we are now free to schools. Creating an account will full-functionality is quick, easy and free! There's no reason not to sign up here.
When a report is submitted, our AI system will read the description and make a
determination whether or not the report requires immediate attention. For
example,
a report involving a school shooting threat or an active fight will trigger this
feature.
The alert will come as an automated phone call to the account administrator. Other faculty members can also choose to receive these calls if they want to be notified of safety concerns immediately. A secondary text message can also be sent to each opted-in faculty member.
The alert will come as an automated phone call to the account administrator. Other faculty members can also choose to receive these calls if they want to be notified of safety concerns immediately. A secondary text message can also be sent to each opted-in faculty member.
Anonymous reporting is the only reporting format that significantly reduces the
risk of social stigma that so often attaches to student-reporters. Victims often
legitimately fear that their
situation will only worsen if their report becomes public knowledge. Likewise,
many students will be less likely to serve as “up-standers” when they fear
retaliation, or being labeled as a “snitch”.
That being said, the possibility of receiving false/fictitious reports can never
be completely eliminated. However, in most cases, false reports will quickly and
easily be ferreted out by a minor
administrative investigation.
The BullyBøx has several key features that work to guard against false reporting: First, any profanity entered into any reporting field, with the exception of the “description” field, will be flagged as a false report. Secondly, The BullyBox development team is working on extending our AI system to detect and flag spam reports. While these reports won't be removed from the admin dashboard, they will be flagged to make looking over them easier. Most false reports will be quickly invalidated through the initial investigatory efforts made by administrators.
Finally, speaking with law enforcement, they have shared that some of the most viable tips or reports received by law enforcement agencies are received from anonymous sources. Police agencies regularly follow-up or investigate anonymous tips.
The BullyBøx has several key features that work to guard against false reporting: First, any profanity entered into any reporting field, with the exception of the “description” field, will be flagged as a false report. Secondly, The BullyBox development team is working on extending our AI system to detect and flag spam reports. While these reports won't be removed from the admin dashboard, they will be flagged to make looking over them easier. Most false reports will be quickly invalidated through the initial investigatory efforts made by administrators.
Finally, speaking with law enforcement, they have shared that some of the most viable tips or reports received by law enforcement agencies are received from anonymous sources. Police agencies regularly follow-up or investigate anonymous tips.
Most definitely! The BullyBøx is not intended, nor is it purported, to serve as
a “cure-all” for all things related to bullying or other school-safety issues.
Rather, The BullyBøx is intended to
serve as a conduit of information, providing students with a voice to be heard.
It is incumbent upon school administrators, or other designated personnel, to
fully investigate every reported incident.
Key players should be interviewed, in an attempt to determine the validity of
the report, as well as the appropriate course of action to be taken. Most any
false/fraudulent reports will be quickly
invalidated during the initial investigatory process.
The Investigations Tool is intended to serve as the only data management system
that you will ever need for recording, analyzing, and managing bully-related
incidents. This tool will allow you
to track real data such as: location, frequency, day, time, gender, grade level,
etc. Such data will provide valuable insight into who is engaging in bullying
behavior, as well as when and where.
The tool also allows you to attach your investigate notes, as well as the final
disposition to a reported incident. Summary reports can easily be created. By
utilizing the data analysis web-tool,
you will be better positioned to objectively review school policies and
effectively allocate personnel resources, in an effort to minimize
bullying-related behavior in your school building.
Upon initially implementing The BullyBøx, schools may experience a slight
increase in the number of reports generated. Newly acquired access to an
anonymous reporting platform may provide students
who have been previously suffering from the effects of bullying, the ability to
report their problems. In addition, there will undoubtedly be a certain
“novelty” associated with the introduction of any new
software that is made available to students. However over time, any short-term
increase in reporting will level off. In the end, the workload placed on
administrators is often
significantly reduced, in large part due to the Investigation Tool. Utilizing
data analytics, administrators will have the tools necessary to review, modify,
and improve upon strategies that
will have a positive effect on the school environment.
The BullyBøx is available on both iPhone and Android platforms. This includes
phones, iPads, iPod Touch, and nearly all tablets.
However, for those students who may not have access to a wireless device,
reports can still be submitted on any desktop computer that has internet
capability. Reports can be submitted at app.bullybox.org/report
Research tells us that physical bullying generally peaks in middle school, while
verbal bullying tends to peak in high school. Whether the reports are related to
bullying or any other school-safety issues,
The BullyBøx will provide students a safe an anonymous method of reporting,
regardless of their grade level. However, we feel that The BullyBøx is best
suited for junior high and high school students.
This is based upon the likelihood that students of these ages will have greater
access to wireless devices.