Safe schools call center funding hiked by Nevada lawmakers

Lawmakers Wednesday voted to add nearly $700,000 to the Safe Voice Call Center program after one of the center supervisors told them Safe Voice has saved a number of young people’s lives.

Safe Voice is the program that provides a 24/7 phone line and a website for students and others to report dangerous, violent or unlawful activity in Nevada schools including public, charter and some private schools.

Nicole Mendoza told lawmakers they’ve received more than 2,500 tips since the system went live at the start of this year. She said they received a tip in one case that a student was going to hurt herself.

“We were told she’s going to commit suicide and she has a plan,” she said.

That’s one of eight confirmed success stories of people’s lives saved and there are undoubtedly upward of 30 such cases at this point.

One person, she said, told them she had already taken too many pills and “just wanted someone to be there when she was passing away.” That person, she said, is alive today.

“If we weren’t there, it’s inconceivable how many lives would have been lost,” Mendoza said.

Superintendent of Education Steve Canavero told members of the Interim Finance Committee his office is now preparing a marketing campaign to get word about the Safe Voice Center out to all schools and all students, parents and teachers.

About $81,890 of the money will be spent this year. $609,396 will be spent beefing up staff by eight people in fiscal 2019.