Fulton County High School students in crisis situations now have an easy way to get in touch with a licensed professional. The Fulton County School system has partnered with the Text 4 Help program and is rapidly expanding the program to high schools in the district.
What is Text 4 Help?: Text 4 Help allows teens to reach a licensed clinician via text message. The clinician will respond within three minutes, 24 hours a day.
Is it anonymous?: All text messages are sent through a cloaking service to ensure the anonymity of the student.
Which schools have access to the program?: While the school system intends to extend the program to all 19 Fulton County high schools, it is available at the following schools right now:
- Alpharetta High School
- Banneker High School
- Cambridge High School
- Chattahoochee High School
- Johns Creek High School
- Langston Hughes High School
- Milton High School
- Roswell High School
- Tri-Cities High School
How is the program funded?: The program is being paid for by a grant from the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority.
What can the service be used for?: According to Fulton County Vice Chairman Bob Ellis, the Text 4 Help service can help students in a wide range of crisis situations.
“Kids may be in crises ranging from academic issues to substance abuse to depression, and Text 4 Help could be the lifeline they need,” Ellis said.
Thom Chandler
Thom Chandler is the editor of The Georgia Sun and has been writing, editing and managing websites and blogs since 1995. He is a lifelong Georgian and one of those increasingly rare Atlanta natives.
