By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Alabaster students and parents can now confidentially report concerns about bullying, depression or harassment to school officials after the Alabaster School System launched its Anonymous Alerts system on Jan. 13.

Through the system, teachers and students can now electronically and anonymously report concerns such as cyber-bullying, gang-related issues and “other sensitive topics through private messages to school officials” in each school building, read a letter sent to parents from Alabaster School Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers.

“Alabaster City Schools does not support, encourage or tolerate any behavior that prevents any student from reaching their full potential,” read the letter.

To place an incident report from a computer or tablet, visit Alabasterschools.org and click the Anonymous Alerts button on the bottom right corner of the site.

To place a report from an iOS or Android device, search for “Anonymous Alerts” in the Apple app or Android Play Store and download the free Anonymous Alerts app. After downloading the app, enter the setup/login as “Alabaster” and enter “Alabaster” as the password.

Parents and students will remain anonymous when submitting a tip, but have the option of revealing their identities if they prefer to have a person-to-person discussion with school officials, according to the letter.

On Jan. 14, Alabaster Student Services Coordinator Dorann Tanner said the school system had already received a tip and had successfully resolved the issue.

“We are thrilled to offer this tool to our community, and look forward to its positive impact on our students’ safety,” read the parent letter. “At Alabaster City Schools, our goal is to enhance the student’s learning experience and limit any roadblocks to students’ success, giving everyone the opportunity to succeed.”