RICHFIELD, OHIO, Feb. 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Navigate360, the nation’s leader in K–12 student wellness and physical safety solutions, announces significant increases in alerts on self-harm, harm to others and the presence of weapons on K–12 campuses. Across more than 33 million online school and social media alerts, Navigate360’s all-new data show alerts related to self-harm are up 51% year-over-year, compared to the 25% increase year-over-year in alerts related to weapons and harm to others. Additionally, more than 4,000 anonymous tips per week are coming into school tip lines, with the most common tips related to self-harm and weapons.
These statistics reinforce the larger, underlying issues behind recent national headlines related to bullying, self-harm and violent critical incidents on school campuses. Just last week, there were reports of coordinated swatting and hoax efforts in Vermont and Michigan, as well as a tragic bullying-related suicide in New Jersey.
"Every day brings another use case of what we’re trying to prevent and change,” said JP Guilbault, Chief Executive Officer at Navigate360. “How can we use the data we have to further the collective understanding of what is happening nationwide — where are we seeing concerning behaviors, where are we seeing spikes? Then, how can we use that data to prevent these occurrences — to identify supports and interventions that need to take place?"
According to the K–12 School Shooting Database, there were 303 school shootings in 2022. In addition, 2022 marked the highest number of casualties, including both injuries and fatalities. This week, the latest mass shooting happened on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, another unsettling event almost five years to the date since 17 lives were taken at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
“These senseless events continue to erode the confidence of students, parents, teachers and school communities – that they are safe, that they will return home at the end of a school day or semester, that they will be able to thrive,” said Guilbault. “This is not the learning environment or mindset that allows people to reach their full potential.”
Guilbault's expertise is founded on a data-driven approach to school safety and student wellness, and together with the rest of the Navigate360 team, Guilbault is dedicated to finding innovative solutions to reduce the risks faced by students and schools.
“The data are there. The communities surrounding our K–12 schools have a responsibility to act on these insights,” continued Guilbault. “If we want to stop the next mass shooting, the next suicide, or the next child to drop out of school, we must commit ourselves to doing more. Every child should be able to experience each school day without fear. Zero incidents are what we strive for at Navigate360. Doing anything less is simply not an option.”
Tomorrow, Friday, February 17th, Guilbault is presenting Proactive Approaches to Ensure Your Schools are Safe at The School Superintendents Association’s National Conference on Education in San Antonio, Texas.
To learn more, and to request an interview with JP Guilbault, please contact press@navigate360.com.
About JP Guilbault
Over the last three decades, JP Guilbault has used data, technology and modern solutions to protect and advance causes for vulnerable and underserved communities. These efforts across schools, faith-based organizations and nonprofits have given JP the experience and perspective needed to address his most important mission: creating safe spaces that save lives.
As chief executive officer and a father of five, JP leads with an unwavering belief in this simple truth: every child should be able to experience each school day without fear. His passionate team includes safety and education leaders, data scientists and analysts, dedicated customer experience professionals and others who ensure K–12 schools and the communities that support them have the expertise needed to build safe and supportive learning environments for students, teachers and staff.
The unmatched strength of this multidisciplinary team, coupled with trend and sentiment data across the safety and wellness landscape, positions Navigate360 and JP as the foremost experts in holistic safety and wellness, protecting more than 14 million people annually.
About Navigate360
Navigate360 is the premier provider of safety solutions for schools, leading to enhanced student wellbeing. With more than 20 years' experience, our multifaceted, layered approach—providing everything from curricula that support positive behavior and self-image to campus physical safety and personnel training—focuses on incident prevention. Currently, more than 14 million students are attending schools using Navigate360 solutions.
