The Bowser administration added two tech groups to its student safety initiative

On Friday, Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration, along with DC Public Schools (DCPS), law enforcement representatives and other educational organizations, announced the launch of Safe Spots for Students.

This initiative was created to promote businesses, government entities and organizations to serve as safe places along corridors often used by students when the are traveling to and from school.

LIVE: We’re in Ward 8 to kick off the ‘Safe Spots for Students’ initiative, which partners with local businesses to provide support to students who feel unsafe during their passage to and from school. #EveryDayCounts https://t.co/PKnb2xyNKM

— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) August 23, 2019

Safe Spots is part of Mayor Bowser’s broader Safe Passage efforts. Safe Spots’ participating organizations vow to open their doors to students who feel unsafe ore just need some help in the vicinity of their campus. Students can identify these locations through a Safe Spot sign located on each business’s building.

This initiative also came with investments and partnerships that will be led by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education this year. Two of those partnerships included investments for local tech-focused organizations.

D.C.’s Go Together, an app-based software company focused on children’s safety, received $20,000 to expand its CarpooltoSchool platform, its first product on the market, in 10 DCPS and public charter schools this school year. Parents and students can organize carpools, walk pools or bike pools through the CarpooltoSchool site or mobile app.

Arlington, Virginia-based LiveSafe, curator of a mobile safety communication platform, received $26,400 to pilot its tech with high school students in 20 D.C.-area schools this year. LiveSafe’s platform can be used by students to send emergency alerts, share their travel status, make law enforcement reports or even flag safety concerns for other students through a shared map.

Other grants include $65,000 for the District Department of Transportation and $50,000 to partner with Richard Wright Public Charter School.

Safe Spots officially launched on Aug. 23 with 23 locations in the Ward 8 neighborhoods of Congress Heights and Anacostia. The Bowser administration said it has plans to expand to other D.C. areas.

“We know that when our young people feel safe getting to and from school, they’re more likely to be in school every day, on time,” Mayor Bowser said in a statement. “With the help of these businesses, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations, we can better support our young people so that they can do their job — get to school every day and make every day count.”