EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville High School and the Edwardsville Police Department received a check Wednesday from Re/Max Alliance to bring the "Alliance Text-a-Tip" program to the school district this year.
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Through the program students will be able to anonymously voice a wide variety of concerns to help maintain a safe and healthy environment at the school.
Sergeant Mathew Breihan said that "Text-a-Tip" will be an excellent way to communicate with the kids, in a way they are comfortable and used to, without the students feeling that they are ratting or snitching on someone.
"I thought it was important to get this in our school because the way kids talk these days is all through social media and texting," Breihan said. "Conversation has gone by the wayside, so we can relate to the kids and how they talk now. I know these kids want to help out each other and they want to be in a safe environment."
Preventing problems before they start is one of Breihan's main goals with through the program.
"Today with cyber bullying and the bullying that goes on in the schools as well as personal problems, they just don't know who to reach out to." Breihan said. "Kids don't want to be seen as the person who tells. They don't want to be labeled as the person who is telling on somebody else. This gives them that avenue to reach out and get help. So I think we'll be able to circumvent those problems before they blow up and escalate into something more serious."
Breihan said when the school and police department were presented with idea they loved it, but the only issue was funding. That's when Randy and Kathy Malawy along with Re/Max Alliance owners Rick and Tammy Owens stepped in and helped fund the project in its entirety.
"I was just blown away," Breihan said. "They sell houses for the community. They bring people to the community, but they also invest into the community. For them to give the money back into the community to improve it just blew me away."
Once school starts Breihan said they'll give the students a chance to settle in a little bit but will have the program running in a couple of weeks, and hopes it's successful enough to trickle down throughout the district and possibly to surrounding communities.
Rick Owens said it just made since for Re/Max Alliance to partner with the school and the police department to keep the students safe.
Randy Malawy said as long as the program can make the difference with just one person it's worth it.
"If it saves one person," Malawy said. "It's worth everything."
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