The Toronto District School Board says its new safety hotline is working, as some 240 complaints have been logged since the initiative was launched a month ago.
The calls relate to a number of concerns, including bullying, harassment, fights and extortion.
"The number (416) 395-SAFE is well known. Students call the line and we deem it as a success based on the number of calls," Donna Quan, superintendent of the Safe Schools Advisory Committee, told CTV Toronto.
Surprisingly, officials say of the 240 complaints received so far, two-thirds have been placed by elementary students. The youngest caller was a Grade 1 student.
The remaining one-third of calls came from high school students, parents and teachers.
More than 50 per cent of the complaints needed to be followed up by principals, Toronto police, the Children's Aid Society or social workers.
The hotline was put into place following the report by the school board's school community safety advisory panel, which said high schools across Toronto are plagued with violence and sexual assaults, many of which go unreported.
The school board's director of education says there is still work to be done to improve school safety, especially in breaking down the culture of silence.
"Some kids are afraid to talk to people in the school," said Gerry Connelly.
"They're afraid because of their peers ... We've heard the expression, 'Snitches get stitches,' and they're afraid of reprisal."
The hotline is a pilot project that is scheduled to run until June. The board will review whether it will continue in May.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Matet Nebres
