Katy ISD is upgrading its bullying reporting system as it prepares for the 2019-2020 school year.

The SpeakUP program was introduced at the Katy Independent School District board meeting Monday night by Ted Vierling, assistant superintendent of operations. SpeakUP will be available via a cellphone app and the district’s website. It allows students to submit anonymous tips.

Previously, the district offered Safety Net, a form that could be picked up at a counselor’s office or library and dropped into a box anonymously. They also could report tips in face-to-face conversations or through the Katy on the Go app.

“We really want to build a culture of safety with our students,” Vierling said. “We want our students to take a leadership role in safety in their schools. Every time you talk to kids about school safety, they will tell you that they want to be involved, they want to help.”

The SpeakUP’s anonymous reporting is used by various Crime Stopper groups and other school districts, he said. The tips will go to each campus’ administration team. Katy ISD police will monitor tips made after hours, but they will only act on tips related to life safety issues.

School principals, assistant principals, counselors and the police department are being trained on the software, and the information will be printed on the back of staff and student IDs.

The system costs $12,000 annually with a $200 one-time setup fee and a $1,500 fee for branding.

“If this prevents one life from being lost, then it is well worth the price,” Vierling said.

Also Monday, Leslie Haack, deputy superintendent, gave a presentation on the possibility of removing ‘D’s from the system’s grading system. Currently, high school students who earn a 70-74 in a class are assigned a ‘D’ which is worth only one point when calculating a student’s GPA. A ‘C,’ for grades 75-79, is worth two points.

Haack said some neighboring school districts already have eliminated ‘D’s from their grading scale, and it positively affects students’ GPA. For example, she said, one recent graduate had a 1.875 GPA and was ineligible for a scholarship that required a 2.0 GPA. Under the system that eliminates ‘D’s, that same student would have had a 2.25 GPA and been eligible.

Haack suggested the move would be implemented with the incoming freshmen. The incoming sophomores, juniors and seniors would remain under the current system because Haack said it would be more difficult to change grades already reported.

But Board President Courtney Doyle asked district leaders to look into removing ‘D’s for students in all grades this year.

“I don’t want it to look like we’re penalizing our sophomores, juniors and seniors,” Doyle said.

Superintendent Ken Gregorski said district administrators will look into changing the system for students across the board and may bring the measure to the board for action at the August meeting.

Haack also discussed the possibility of eliminating the class ranking system for high school students. She said research has shown that up to 50 percent of school districts no longer report class rank, and many outside entities put little weight to class rankings because it only compares students with others at the same school.

She suggested only giving the exact rankings for the top 10 percent of students and provide the remaining students the quartile in which they fall (first, second, third, fourth).

The move, she said, would put less pressure on students to perform and encourage students to take classes they’re interested in, rather than focus on classes they believe will improve their GPA.