The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) announced the launch of an app to report incidents that are not an emergency, but which may affect students, teachers and other employees.
The system called LASAR allows the community to anonymously report issues such as suspicious activity, mental health incidents, drug trafficking and use, vandalism, and issues that endanger the safety of the educational community.
“The LASAR app represents an additional safety tool at our disposal to protect our students and lead the response to safety incidents like the teen opioid crisis,” Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said.
Students and parents can make anonymous reports and suggest a location for Los Angeles School Police (LASPD) officers and social workers to respond to, if needed.
In addition to being a fentanyl crisis response tool, it also allows you to receive reports such as “threats to attack a school, psychological distress, suicidal ideation, dangerous weapons or objects, vandalism and other non-security issues. urgent”. statement.
The app can be downloaded for free from Apple Store or GooglePlay for Android phone users.
LAUSD raised the alarm over the fentanyl crisis in its schools after the death of 15-year-old Melanie Ramos, who overdosed and was found dead in the bathroom of her Bernstein High School in Hollywood in September 2022.
Ramos’ mother filed a lawsuit against LAUSD alleging the school knew there was a problem with drug use and dealing on campus, but took no action.