An Innovative Solution To Keeping Schools Safe

There is one topic on the minds of thousands of parents every day in LaRue County: school safety. There seems to be a constant reminder through the news and social media as to why this is a top priority for communities around the nation. While LaRue County Schools has worked diligently for years to ensure the safety of those in the schools on a daily basis, a new tool is now entering their toolbelt thanks to an innovative solution from a member of the Hodgenville Police Department.

Brionna Taylor, Police Social Worker for the Hodgenville Police Department, had a spark of creativity after grieving with the rest of the country after the events in Uvalde, TX. Her solution blends old-school reporting with a piece of tech many people have in their pocket, “I came up with the concept of LCHAT in response to the devastating Uvalde School Shooting that occurred in May of 2022. I remember reading through countless articles regarding this heinous incident and making a connection within each of them: there were reported patterns of bizarre and concerning behaviors from the perpetrator. This is a connection that can also be tied to other shootings and acts of violence. We as a society know that hindsight is in fact 20/20- however; I knew that I wanted to create a platform for our community, especially our students, to utilize to report anything that may stick out or be of concern in order to be proactive and prevent acts of violence to the best of our ability.”

LCHAT is a website and smartphone app where students or anyone in the community can report concerns about potential acts of violence or access resources for other needs. The platform is out now and can be accessed by going directly to the website www.lchat.online or searching “lchat.online” on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Taylor wanted the platform to go beyond just reporting and to serve as a one-stop-shop for resources that students might need for a variety of situations including the Suicide Hotline, Sexual Assault Hotline, National Human trafficking Hotline, Rape, Abuse, and Incest national network (RAINN), Deaf/hard of hearing hotline, The TREVOR project for LGBTQ students, National Alliance on Mental Illness line, and the General Crisis text line.

Students can also interact directly with her as a social worker, “from the hours of 8:00 AM- 4:00PM, LCHAT will offer a feature to connect directly to me, Brionna Taylor - Police Social Worker, in the event that someone has an immediate concern. I do want to maintain clarity though and include that LCHAT should not be used in place of 911 and if there is an emergency- 911 should be utilized.”

Since the approval of the LaRue County Schools Strategic Plan in December 2019, School Safety has been one of the four major areas of emphasis identified by the community as a need and has been prioritized by the LaRue County Board of Education.

Eric Allen, LaRue County Schools Director of Student Services, oversees School Safety and explains how this creative solution helps in the overall approach LCS is taking to keep students and staff safe, “There’s not one answer to the question of “how to make a school safe?” Instead, there are layers upon layers of support that when woven together, form a strong approach to keeping students and staff safe. The great thing about LCHAT and our partnership with the Hodgenville Police Department, including School Resource Officer Kevin Bennett, is that we know that we’re not alone as a school district. We have the entire community on board to help us ensure that we’re doing everything possible within our power to keep our schools safe.”