A new software program called SchoolTipline is being used in Utah schools to help prevent bullying and illegal activity by allowing students to report such incidents anonymously online or through text messages.

The program, which currently is being used in 41 schools nationwide, has already seen success in preventing incidents, including two fights at Dixon Middle School in Provo.

"Statistics say there's a code of silence in schools," said Justin Bergener, founder and CEO of SchoolTipline. "The majority of students say that if they know of a gun or bullying at school, they won't report it."

Bergener said this technology is designed to change all of that.

According to research done by SchoolTipline, only 8 percent of 500 high school students, who had never heard of the tip line, said they would report bullying at school. After being taught about the software and how it protects their anonymity, 78 percent of that same group said they would report incidents of bullying.

"We act as the mediator to open communication so the students can be the eyes of the administrators," Bergener said.

Bergener, a BYU student studying sociology, came up with the idea for the software after speaking with his sister, who was harassed for reporting illegal and dangerous activity in her school. He said the pain and "social suicide" involved with reporting such events was unfair, so he came up with this program as a way to stop it.

The program now receives an estimated two reports per week for every 1,000 students.

Some of the incidents that it has helped prevent so far include after-school fights, bullying, theft and students hurting themselves.

"It's refreshing to see how many students use this and want their schools to be safer," Bergener said.

Officer Sam Sorenson, who works at Dixon Middle School, said the program has already been instrumental in preventing two fights and in catching students leaving graffiti on school property.

"It's an effective tool to be able to get information to the administrators," Sorenson said. "Students see more. ... They know what's going on a lot of the time when the administrators and teachers don't."

He said the big advantage of the program is it protects the identity of the student.

"It keeps anonymity and provides a safety blanket so they won't have to be telling on friends and losing friendships," Sorenson said. "They can do what they know is right and not worry about their friends knowing about it."

SchoolTipline first went into schools last October. The business so far has won two competitions for the idea and business plan.