Wednesday’s light snow wasn’t enough to shut down school in Johnson City, but when a future batch of winter weather eventually forces Johnson City Schools to close its doors, Thelma Dennis will be among the first to know.
"If they text, then I'll get it right then and there, because I always have my phone,” Dennis, the mother of a first-grader, said.
Thanks to the School Messenger program, the Johnson City School System can now send alerts directly to Dennis’ cell phone, which beats calling her landline.
"If they call home, I'm not going to get the message, because I’m not going to be here,” Dennis said.
For those who don't want to receive text messages, administrators can send them schedule changes through voicemail or email.
After two years of research, Johnson City Schools went live with its new alert system this week. Administrators haven't had to send out an alert yet, but when the time comes, every parent will receive a message.
"This is a way that we can easily get the information out in a matter of seconds to thousands of parents who then will be able to make arrangements,” Instruction and Communications Supervisor Dr. Debra Bentley said.
In the past, Johnson City Schools relied solely on announcements on television and radio stations and school websites to alert parents of delays or closings. According to Bentley, Johnson City is using a Safe Schools grant to pay for the new $30,000 program. She says administrators will also use the system to alert parents of potential emergencies.
“It’s an additional way to get our messages out to parents,” Bentley said.
Sullivan County began using the same system earlier this school year. Kingsport, Bristol, Washington County, Virginia and Washington County, Tennessee Schools all use similar alert programs.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement