Dive Brief:

• A new app, Bully Alert, allows students to safely report bullying incidents from their phones or computers, allowing the process to be less publicized.
• Co-creator Marcos Ontiveros was inspired to develop Bully-Alert after hearing his younger sister crying about a bully but not telling for fear of retribution.
• The app, which is being tested in Clark County School District this year, prompts bullied students to fill out an incident report, which is then sent to administrators and counselors across campus.  

Dive Insight:

While schools will definitely need to be clear in their explanation of the app and how/when to use it — you can imagine all the false reports that could be sent in — at the end of the day, it definitely provides a solution to a very real problem in schools.  

As Ontiveros explained to the Associated Press, "If you see some kid talking to the teacher and you're the one bullying, you're going to know that person is snitching."  This fear of being labeled a snitch has stopped many students from standing up for themselves and asking for help.  

On another note, Ontiveros, who graduated in 2014 from Southwest Career and Technical Academy in Las Vegas is a great example of a person who benefited from STEM education. His application of the skills learned to create a real problem-solving program definitely gives weight to the argument for both STEM and technical education.