Bullitt County Public Schools combats bullying with AI app for students

MT. WAHSHINGTON, Ky. (WDRB) -- Emma Johnson is a senior at Bullitt East High School and said she's already lost two friends to suicide. She said Wednesday Bullitt County has "a lot of mental health issues," and something needs to change.

"People are scared to come forward and talk to adults, parents and councilors," Johnson said.

So Johnson and her peers in the school's Youth Coalition are trying to spark that change, putting mental health resources at students' fingertips with a new app. They've nicknamed it "Haven."

"It's tough," Johnson said. "But knowing that there are going to be resources that come out of that to help prevent that in somebody else's life is really reassuring."

Bullitt County Public Schools partnered with Slingshot, a Louisville software development company, to develop this free app at the beginning of 2025. It's currently in its beta testing phase.

"We used AI to build out the actual initial prototype," said Sarah Bhatia, director of AI innovation for Slingshot. "We're using AI to build AI, which is a new, exciting time for us."

The goal is to launch this school year. Haven gives students support in various ways, such as texting or podcasts. They can also choose characters to relay that advice.

"It can be like a hype bestie or like a wise friend," said Libby Jaggers, another BEHS student. "It's going to be so helpful for students."

Bullitt County students are banned from using their cellphones in classrooms, so Haven will be available on their school-issued Chromebooks. There's also an app for their phones in case they need to chat in the summer or after school hours.

"Sometimes, a lot of those feelings get brought up at night," Jagger said.

Unlike ChatGPT, this artificial intelligence gets its information strictly from BCPS resources rather than the internet. However, BCPS Digital Learning Coach Ashley Marker said it's not meant to replace a therapist or school counselor.

"We're actually seeing not only students, but people in general, really turn to AI tools for emotional support and guidance," Bhatia said. "We're really making sure that students are staying safe. We're implementing guardrails to keep conversations on topic."

Students said it feels more discrete than going to see the school counselor. They also said it helps reduce stigmas around depression, anxiety and overall stress.

"It's easier for people to vent or rant about whatever they need to," Johnson said. "It's going to redirect them to resources that can ultimately save lives."

To login, the app will confirm users attend BCPS middle or high schools. Haven is free through the district.

"We actually have a really great relationship with AWS and Amazon," Bhatia said. "So we've met with them to be able to get some credits for Bullitt County so that it's not costing them very much to run the app."

Haven is only for BCPS students at the moment, but Slingshot hopes to expand to other school districts in the future.

"They can't be the best student they can be unless we take care of their mental health and their needs first," Marker said. "Hopefully this can help with that."

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