Snitching 101: H.S. to reward informants

updated 10:41 a.m. ET April 11, 2005

ROME, Ga. - A high school is looking for a few good snitches.

Using revenue from its candy and soda sales, Model High School plans to pay up to $100 for information about thefts and drug or gun possession on campus.

“It’s not that we feel there are any problems here,” said Principal Glenn White. “It’s a proactive move for getting information that will help deter any sort of illegal activity.”

Under the new policy, a student would receive $10 for information about a theft on campus, $25 or $50 for information about drug possession, and $100 for information about gun possession or other serious felonies.

Informants will not receive the reward if they are involved in the crime, White said.

No rewards nearby
At nearby Rome High School, there is no similar program because students there have a rapport with officials and are comfortable providing information, said Superintendent Gayland Cooper.

“We feel the reward is the kids knowing they have a safe school,” Cooper said.

The idea for the program came from Kell High School in Marietta, an Atlanta suburb. There, student tips earlier this year led to the arrest of a classmate who had brought a handgun to school.

No Model High students have received the reward yet, but some questioned the logic behind it. Jaime Parris, a senior, said that most students already would tell faculty about anything that threatened student safety.

“But if it’s not going to hurt other people, I don’t think many people are going to tell on their friends,” she said.

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