Brea Olinda High School offers students a resource — Text-a-Tip — that allows them to anonymously send reports of bullying, vandalism, suspicious activities, and any other concerns directly, via text message, to BOHS assistant principals.

Text-A-Tip was created to provide students an outlet to feel safe, while also staying anonymous. “If students don’t use this avenue to report things, then we can’t do as good a job of improving the learning and school environment for everyone to enjoy. [Administration] needs students to let us know about inappropriate or unsafe activities because we want to make sure everyone has a positive experience at BOHS,” Joy Cordia, assistant principal, said.

Once the anonymous message is sent by a student to the Text-a-Tip number — (401) 542-2287 (CATS) — an assistant principal (AP) will receive a student’s report from an anonymous number via a text message or email. The AP then investigates the report and conducts interviews with the parties involved, and uses the information to determine that the “appropriate disciplinary actions are taken to ensure our school remains a safe learning environment for everyone,” Eric Barrientos, assistant principal, said. If the APs decide that the report requires immediate action, then the BOUSD School Resource Officer (SRO) and the Brea Police Department are informed. 

After sending the tip, the student receives a confidential code that they can use to follow up with more information. After that, “as long as the BOUSD Resource Officer hasn’t stopped communication, administration will be able to re-contact tipsters via text message regarding their tip to inquire regarding further information or provide support,” Barrientos said.

Parents of students are also encouraged to use the tip line “to report knowledge of any inappropriate or illegal actions related to the BOHS campus or school activities.”

The hotline is available only through texting, but there is also a separate phone tip hotline that allows students to leave a voicemail message. The phone tip hotline is also monitored by the assistant principals and can be reached at (714) 990-7850, extension 1202.

For issues that require immediate attention, students and families are encouraged to contact the Brea Police Department, either via 911 or (714) 990-7625.

“BOUSD strongly believes in the mantra of ‘See Something, Say Something,'” Barrientos said. “Tips received via Text-A-Tip have allowed our SRO along with administration to be proactive in a variety of student situations to ensure the safety of students and the community at large. BOHS students are an invaluable partner in ensuring our campus is a safe and supportive learning environment for everyone. [Their] voices make a difference.”