SchoolMessenger Launches Major New Version of Talk About It, Improving First and Only Anonymous Communication Service for Reporting Bullying & Other Issues

LOS GATOS, Calif., Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- SchoolMessenger, the leading provider of communication solutions for education, today announced a new version of its popular Talk About It anonymous communication service. Already in use by more than 500,000 students nationwide, the new version improves the efficiency, ease of use and reporting capabilities now available to districts, schools and students to engage in a two-way dialogue about bullying, threats and other concerns on or off-campus, via text or online messaging.

"Since we announced the acquisition of Ancomm and the Talk About It service early this year, we have been working to rebuild the innovative solution on our patented communication platform," said Sanford Kenyon, president and chief executive officer of Reliance Communications, the parent company of SchoolMessenger. "The new version represents the result of this effort – an always available two-way anonymous communication service that builds on more than seven years of experience helping hundreds of thousands of students get the help they need."

The new version of Talk About It features a streamlined user interface for both students and staff, and improved thread management tools to more easily track dialogues with at-risk students. In addition, enhanced reporting tools allow school officials to identify trends that impact students most often, such as bullying, depression and more, and enterprise management tools that allow central office administrators to more easily control how the anonymous communication service is used at individual school levels.

"As the battle against bullying continues, our message remains focused on prevention," said Carter Myers, vice president of Anonymous Communications Solutions for SchoolMessenger. "We believe that students are the best resource for understanding what's going on in their school, and given the right tool to report issues safely and confidentially, they will 'break the code of silence' and do the right thing before it's too late. Our goal is to continually refine and improve that tool so it's as powerful and easy to use as possible."

In recognition of National Bullying Prevention month, SchoolMessenger will donate a portion of its Talk About It sales during October to the School Safety Advocacy Council (SSAC). The Council is made up of leading experts in the field of school and child safety. It offers many specialized services and trainings to law enforcement, school departments, and colleges and universities nationwide. To date, SSAC staff and nationally certified instructors have trained over 100,000 police, college and school officials from the United States and abroad.

"Having technology that allows young people to report bullying victimization is absolutely crucial to reducing the unfortunate incidents we read about daily," said Curtis Lavarello, executive director of the School Safety Advocacy Council and host of the annual National Conference on Bullying. "In my opinion, Talk About It should be adopted in every school as a communications tool. It provides a viable way for students to easily and anonymously communicate and report bullying incidents." 

For more information on the new version and a video overview of Talk About It, visit: http://talk.schoolmessenger.com.

About SchoolMessenger
SchoolMessenger is a leading provider of communication solutions for education. Thousands of school districts, public schools, colleges, universities, private schools and other educational facilities in all 50 states depend on the company's innovative solutions, including the SchoolMessenger notification service and Talk About It anonymous communication service. Founded in 1999, the company is headquartered in Los Gatos, California. For information, visit http://www.schoolmessenger.com or call 888.527.5225.

Note to Editors: For a list of districts in a specific location or region that have adopted Talk About It, please email or call Carleen LeVasseur, 408-264-6767, [email protected].

Media Contact:
Carleen LeVasseur
SchoolMessenger Public Relations
408-264-6767
[email protected]

SOURCE SchoolMessenger