« Red button », officially in schools
The order regarding the « red button » in schools, a mechanism by which anonymous cases of violence and drug use can be reported in educational units, was officially entered in schools, the document being published on Tuesday in the Official Gazette.
The document provides for what types of facts can be noticed, but also the way in which anonymity is ensured.
Ways of transmitting notifications:
- Physical: by completing a standardized form, which can be submitted in a specially arranged box in each school, located in a visible and easily accessible place;
- Online: Each educational unit will provide an electronic form of anonymous referral on its own site, as well as a dedicated e-mail address, which allows the notifications to be transmitted without storing the sender’s address, if he opts for anonymity.
Facts that can be reported
- Violence between students or between students and teachers;
- Consuming or holding drugs or other prohibited substances;
- Wearing or using dangerous objects inside the school;
- Other behaviors that violate the internal regulation of the educational unit;
- Including situations of violence on the child produced outside the school environment.
« Through this mechanism, we want to offer a real, accessible and safe tool for signaling unacceptable behaviors in schools, while protecting the confidentiality of those who choose to take attitude, » said the Minister of Education.
