§ 115C-105.51.  Anonymous tip lines and monitoring and response applications.

(a) The governing body of each public secondary school shall develop and operate an anonymous tip line, in coordination with local law enforcement and social services agencies, to receive anonymous information on internal or external risks to the school population, school buildings, and school-related activities. The Department of Public Instruction, in consultation with the Department of Public Safety, may develop standards and guidelines for the development, operation, and staffing of tip lines. The governing body of each public secondary school may use the anonymous safety tip line application developed pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, or another application that meets standards and guidelines developed by the Department of Public Instruction, to achieve the purposes of this subsection.

(b) The Department of Public Instruction and the Center for Safer Schools, in collaboration with the Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management, shall implement and maintain an anonymous safety tip line application available statewide for purposes of receiving anonymous student information on internal or external risks to the school population, school buildings, and school-related activities. Public secondary schools shall inform students about the application and provide opportunities for students to learn about its purpose and function. The governing body of each public secondary school shall work with the Department of Public Instruction, Division of School Operations, and the Center for Safer Schools to ensure that employees of the public secondary schools receive adequate training in its operation.

(c) The Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management, and the North Carolina 911 Board, in collaboration with the Department of Public Instruction, Division of School Operations, and the Center for Safer Schools, shall implement and maintain a statewide panic alarm system for the purposes of launching real-time 911 messaging to public safety answering points of internal and external risks to the school population, school buildings, and school-related activities. The Department of Public Safety, in consultation with the Department of Public Instruction and the North Carolina 911 Board, may develop standards and guidelines for the operations and use of the panic alarm tool.

(d) The Department of Public Instruction and the Department of Public Safety shall ensure that the anonymous safety tip line application is integrated with and supports the statewide School Risk and Response Management System (SRRMS) as provided in G.S. 115C-105.49A. Where technically feasible and cost efficient, the Department of Public Instruction and the Department of Public Safety are encouraged to implement a single solution supporting both the anonymous safety tip line application and panic alarm system.

(e) All data and information acquired and stored by the anonymous safety tip line application are not considered public records as the term "public record" is defined under G.S. 132-1 and shall not be subject to inspection and examination under G.S. 132-6.

(f) Notwithstanding subsection (e) of this section, the Department of Public Instruction, Division of School Operations, may collect the annual aggregate number and type of tips sent to the anonymous tip line. The collection of this aggregate data shall not have any identifying information on the reporter of the tip, including, but not limited to, the school where the incident was reported and the date the tip was reported.

(g) (Effective until July 1, 2024) For the purposes of this section, a "public secondary school" is any of the following types of public school serving grades six or higher:

(1) A school under the control of a local school administrative unit.

(2) A school under the control of the State Board of Education, including schools operated under Article 9C of this Chapter.

(3) A school under the control of The University of North Carolina.

(4) A charter school.

(5) A regional school.

(g) (Effective July 1, 2024) For the purposes of this section, a "public secondary school" is any of the following types of public school serving grades six or higher:

(1) A school under the control of a local school administrative unit.

(2) A school for the deaf or blind operated under Article 9C of this Chapter.

(3) A school under the control of The University of North Carolina.

(4) A charter school.

(5) A regional school. (2013-360, s. 8.40; 2015-241, s. 8.26(d); 2017-102, s. 41.5; 2018-5, s. 7.26(a); 2021-180, s. 7.14(j); 2023-78, s. 1; 2023-10, ss. 1, 2(b).)