Seeking to discourage school safety threats before they can escalate, Warren County Public Schools is promoting a new anonymous reporting tool offered through the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security.

WCPS Superintendent Rob Clayton said the district began sharing the tipline on its website after Warren County Sheriff Brett Hightower suggested the service.

“Any time that we can take another step to ensure the safety of our students and staff, we’re always going to entertain it,” Clayton told the Daily News. “If it is reasonable and makes sense and we can sustain it, then we try to implement it.”

Warren County Public Schools already has several tools available on its website for reporting bullies and other safety issues, but Clayton said the new Safety Tipline, Online Prevention service offers unique benefits.

“The appealing aspect of this particular tipline is the fact that it is monitored 24/7,” he said, noting that allows for immediate response from school officials.

Clayton recently described the tool in a message to parents posted on the school district’s website. Along with a hotline at 866-393-6659, the service offers an online form that allows detail and other key information to be reported quickly. The Bowling Green Independent School District introduced a similar reporting tool last year.

The new reporting tool is just one aspect of a broader effort by the district to expand its approach to school safety.

Through a partnership with the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, the district is now employing 10 full-time school resource officers. It’s also adding more mental health professionals.

In his message to parents this month, Clayton said WCPS currently employs eight licensed mental health counselors, two social workers and a “transition coach” to address students’ social and emotional needs.

“Since 2014, we have more than doubled these staffing resources and we are in the process of adding an additional licensed mental health counselor and two certified social workers,” Clayton wrote.

“Please know that you can trust us to continue the expansion of services that we provide our students as we work to minimize significant barriers to their achievement and opportunity,” he wrote.