A poster, created by two Newtown High School graphics students, began promoting a new slogan for the Newtown Safe Schools Anonymous Tip Line near the end of the 2014-15 school year.

The poster reads, “See it. Hear it. Report it. Prevent it,” “Newtown’s Safe Schools Anonymous Tip Line, 203-270-4670. If it’s an emergency or life-threatening, call 911.”

While the poster and slogan are new, school district Director of Security Mark Pompano said the tip line began in 2014.

After the events of 12/14, Mr Pompano said John Jay College of Criminal Justice offered and later provided a risk assessment for the district. A tip line and a campaign for the tip line were among the recommendations.

After using a tip line through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the district’s Security Committee discussed the need for a local anonymous tip line, with input from the Board of Education, police department, and the Newtown Emergency Communications Center.

According to Newtown’s Emergency Communications Director Maureen Will, the Newtown Safe Schools Anonymous Tip Line went live at the start of the 2014-15 school year. She also said the Communications Center handles the calls, which are answered by dispatch staff.

When the line first went live, according to NHS graphics teacher David DeFeo, the high school’s graphics department created “an informational card…designed for it to fit in a wallet” to hand out to students at the school.

The new poster, Mr Pompano said, emphasizes the idea that the tip line is for people to share safety concerns, but it does not replace calling 911 for an emergency.

Mr Pompano also said that while the tip line was created by the district Security Committee, “it is for anybody in the town to use as well.”

Examples of when people should call the tip line, according to Mr Pompano and Mr DeFeo, include sharing concerns about security, drug sales, suspicious behavior, and bullying.

In the event of an emergency, Mr Pompano stressed that people should still call 911.

“What [the poster] really does is get people more cognizant of their surroundings,” said Mr DeFeo.

Mr Pompano gave kudos to NHS graphics students Anna Jannott and Rachel Saint for taking a “blank canvas” and creating a “phenomenal” poster.

“NHS graphics is quick to help with any of these endeavors,” said Mr DeFeo, who later added that NHS graphics also supports a range of school and community groups by producing promotional materials. “The right thing to do is to step up and help.”

Anna and Rachel said they worked together on the poster.

“I like it, I think that with the color choices it is simple but bold at the same time.

It catches your eye but it doesn’t take you a long time to get the message that the poster is trying to convey,” said Anna.

Both Anna and Rachel said it took them a couple of classes to create the poster, once the slogan was finished by the district Security Committee.

The posters were on display at NHS within the last month of the school year, and Mr Pompano said the posters are also expected to be put up elsewhere in the district.

More ideas and endeavors are in the works to spread the message of the Newtown Safe Schools Anonymous Tip Line.