BELTON, Mo. (AP) — A new online reporting service is allowing some students to report bullying without fearing retaliation.

In northwest Missouri, the service, called Spirgeo, is being used at Belton middle school, as well as Park Hill and Platte County school districts.

The Kansas City Star reports administrators in the Belton and Park Hill districts believe Sprigeo can help reduce bullying, in part because students are reporting bullying incidents earlier than in the past. And they say students no longer have to worry about being seen reporting bullying to administrators.

In Belton, middle-school students have reported 12 bullying incidents since school began in mid-August. Assistant principal Deanna Feeback says almost all the reports came from students’ homes, meaning they had time to consider the incidents and talk to their parents.