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Bullying, both in person and cyber, was by far the most frequent local issue reported to the state Safe2Say Something school tip line last school year, according to an annual report issued Monday by state Attorney General Josh Shapiro.
				The data is broken down by Intermediate Unit. The state has 29 of the entities set up to provide a variety of services to schools within their boundaries. Luzerne Intermediate Unit (LIU) 18 serves all of Luzerne County and part of Wyoming County, including Tunkhannock Area School District.
				Of 752 calls to the Safe2Say tip line in the LIU, 127 of them were about bullying. The next closest reason for calls involved suicide and suicide ideation, at 88. Cutting/self-harm was third at 64 and drug use/distribution/possession was fourth at 60.
				The same four reasons ranked in the same way statewide, but the two top-ten lists varied beyond that.
				For the LIU, the fifth highest reason for calls was depression/anxiety, while fifth on the state level was smoking, including tobacco use and vaping. In contrast, smoking and the related issues was eighth locally.
				Threat against school was sixth locally and seventh state-wide. Inappropriate language/behavior was seventh locally and eighth for the state. Threat against person was ninth locally and tenth state-wide. Threat against person was ninth in the LIU and 10th for the state.
				Weapons/explosives finished the top 10 list locally, with 17 calls. That item didn&rsquo;t make the top 10 list for the state which completed it&rsquo;s top 10 list with general student concern the ninth most common reason for the call.
				Safe2Say Something was authorized by state law in 2018 and all school entities in the state were required to participate by Jan. 14, 2019. Reports can be submitted through a state website, a telephone hotline, and a mobile app. Perhaps not surprisingly in an age when many children have their own smart phones, the phone app was the overwhelming choice, with 19,890 tips submitted that way, compared to 4,489 via the website and 626 by phone call.
				Tips are handled through the Office of Attorney General Crisis center. After an initial review and follow up, tips are relayed to schools and local law enforcement for any action.

Bullying tops local list of calls to Safe2Say state tipline