Michigan’s OK 2 Say student tip line has been used less during the pandemic. OK 2 Say program administrator Mary Gager Drew tells WSJM News it’s partly because students haven’t been educated about it as much due to school visits and assemblies not taking place. She hopes they can soon resume.
“That really has impacted the number of tips,” Gager Drew said. “We actually saw a 42% decrease in the number of tips. So having conversations, letting students know about the program is, to us, the key to the success of the program.”
Meanwhile, Gager Drew notes the types of tips that have come into OK 2 Say have changed.
“For example, suicide threats were up 3%, drugs were up 1%. Mental health, the anxiety, the stress, depression, was up 5%. Cyberbullying was up 5%.”
There have been fewer reports about general bullying. Gager Drew says OK 2 Say was launched in 2014 to provide a safe, confidential way to report troubling situations in schools. Tips can be submitted by texting OK2Say, or 652-729, or by emailing OK2SAY@ Michigan.gov.
