Washington Township touts HELPme

Washington Township Schools in Indianapolis is pitching a phone-based support system that stays open all day, every day, and it is aimed at more than students. The district’s HELPme page says the service is for students, families, and staff, and its July 25, 2025 district update described it as a “24/7/365 mental health and safety monitoring platform” brought in through STOPit Solutions. (msdwt.k12.in.us 1) (msdwt.k12.in.us 2) The district is not describing HELPme as a replacement for counselors or social workers inside schools. Its own page says the tool is meant to lower the stigma of asking for help, remove barriers to learning, and improve parent and community engagement. (msdwt.k12.in.us) What families actually get is three separate doors in one app. Washington Township says users can search local aid for food, shelter, transportation, or domestic violence, text a crisis counselor through Crisis Text Line, or send a request directly to school staff through an “Ask for Help” channel. (msdwt.k12.in.us) That last option is the part schools like most, because it turns a hard conversation into a message box. Washington Township says a student, parent, or staff member can ask for help for themselves, a friend, or a family member, and the request can stay anonymous unless the person chooses to identify themselves. (msdwt.k12.in.us) The company behind it has been selling HELPme to schools since 2022 as a single place for basic-needs referrals, mental-health support, and direct school contact. STOPit Solutions said at launch that the platform linked users to school resources, crisis helplines, and optional teletherapy services. (lightspeedsystems.com) Washington Township is a big district for this kind of rollout. Federal district data for the 2024-2025 school year lists 14 schools and 11,391 students in the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township, which sits in the northern part of Indianapolis and Marion County. (nces.ed.gov) (msdwt.k12.in.us) The district has also been building out a broader technology-and-safety posture, not just a counseling posture. Its technology department says it supports secure, real-time access to district information for more than 10,000 students and more than 800 teachers and administrators, and another district recently introduced HELPme alongside Lightspeed Alert, a separate tool that scans school-device activity for signs of self-harm, drugs, and weapons. (msdwt.k12.in.us) (k12albemarle.org) Washington Township’s own HELPme page draws a line between support and surveillance, at least on paper. It says no personal information is needed to use the platform, and personally identifiable information appears only if a user chooses to include it in a request or message. (msdwt.k12.in.us) So the story here is not just one district posting one app. It is a public school system with more than 11,000 students telling families that help, reporting, and crisis contact should now live partly inside a permanent digital channel that follows the school community beyond the school day. (nces.ed.gov) (msdwt.k12.in.us)