National PTA Partners with Blackboard on
Announcement of New School Safety Resource

PTA Encourages Use of TipTxt - Free Service from Blackboard
that Allows Students to Report Bullying Concerns

ALEXANDRIA, VA (May 29, 2013)—National PTA is encouraging students and families to utilize a free new resource designed to stop one of the nation’s leading school safety problems – bullying. Launched by Blackboard Inc., TipTxt is a two-way texting service that allows students to confidentially notify school officials of activity related to bullying or school safety. National PTA and Blackboard will work together to promote the new service which will be offered for free to all K-12 schools and districts in the country.

TipTxt is a tipline that allows for confidential, text conversations between students and school officials about critical challenges that students experience such as bullying, and issues that relate to bullying, such as abuse, self-esteem or confidence problems. Armed with this insight, officials can provide resources, advice or immediate action to help on a case-by-case basis.

Bullying has quickly become one of the nation’s most pressing safety issues amongst schools. Statistics show that 1 in every 7 students from kindergarten to grade 12 has reported being bullied or witnessing bullying. National PTA encourages parents and schools to utilize the free tool as a measure to reduce bullying in our schools.

“National PTA has always believed that creating a dialogue around bullying is one of the most effective measures to putting a stop to the problem. TipTxt is a great tool that allows children to have a voice within this dialogue. Not long ago, we created Connect for Respect based on the idea that convening community conversations was a key step in building awareness and taking action to stop bullying in communities and we support this tool that provides children an avenue to express concern without fear of repercussion,” said Betsy Landers, National PTA President.

About PTA’s Connect for Respect

In March 2011, National PTA launched an initiative to encourage PTAs across the country to lead conversations in their school communities about bullying, how it is affecting their communities, and to develop solutions that they can implement collaboratively together.

About National PTA

National PTA® comprises millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of parent involvement in schools. PTA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that prides itself on being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education. Membership in PTA is open to anyone who wants to be involved and make a difference for the education, health, and welfare of children and youth.

About Blackboard Inc.

Blackboard Inc. is a global leader in enterprise technology and innovative solutions that improve the experience of millions of students and learners around the world every day. Blackboard’s solutions allow thousands of higher education, K-12, professional, corporate, and government organizations to extend teaching and learning online, facilitate campus commerce and security, and communicate more effectively with their communities. Founded in 1997, Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.