DENVER (KDVR) — Safe2Tell reports reached their highest number ever last school year, with suicide threats and bullying at the top of the list.

The anonymous youth reporting program saw a 16% increase in reports during the 2022-23 school year. That’s according to the latest Safe2Tell annual report, released Monday by the Colorado Attorney General’s Office.

“Colorado students faced several significant challenges, including bullying, drugs and suicidal thoughts,” Safe2Tell director Stacey Jenkins wrote in the report. “Safe2Tell was there to receive these reports and prevent tragedies before they occur.”

The total number of reports was just shy of 22,500, bringing it to the highest number since the program’s inception in 2004.

Students are encouraged to use Safe2Tell to prevent harm in school communities.

“We remind students that, ‘if they see something harmful, say something helpful.’ Safe2Tell is a
way to report anonymously any time, any day,” Jenkins wrote.

Students report suicide threats, bullying to Safe2Tell

Suicide threats were the most frequently reported category, making up 13% of all reports, according to the figures. Behind that came reports of bullying, school complaints, drugs and threats, which together made up 42% of all reports.

Safe2Tell reports were broken into 50 categories in the report. See a breakdown of the top 25 totals in the chart below.

About 93% of all reports came from bystanders, but students can also submit reports about themselves.

The report shows students are largely self-reporting about bullying — there were around three times as many bullying self-reports as the next-highest categories. Bullying made up 9% of all Safe2Tell reports last year, according to the new figures.

Students can make a Safe2Tell report by calling 1-877-542-SAFE or visiting Safe2Tell.org.