Island parents can now participate in a new school emergency text alert system to receive important messages.
School emergency alerts are the most important type of messages a school administrator must send, and when a time sensitive situation or crisis hits a school, the school messenger system will provide notification to parents quickly.
“Text messages sent to cellphones and other devices will be a way to reach parents quickly in an emergency. This new system is designed to inform parents in situations such as school evacuations, early dismissals or school bus accidents. We are also working to see if this new tool could be used to support the COVID-19 response when we have an exposure at a school.”
- Education and Lifelong Learning Minister Natalie Jameson
The system will only send text messages to mobile phone numbers of those who have agreed to receive them. Text messages will be used to communicate during emergency situations as well as specific midday school closures or early dismissals.
At any time, parents who have shared their mobile number with the school can opt-in to receive these alerts by texting “Y” (or “Yes”) to the Short Code number 978338 (Canadian-based numbers) or 61569 (US-based numbers). Standard Text Message & Data rates may apply.
A reminder invitation to participate will be sent on February 7, 2022, to any remaining mobile phone numbers in the PowerSchool database.
In addition to texting, schools can also send voice messages by calling phone numbers listed for parents. Parents can manage their messaging preferences by signing up for an account at SchoolMessenger and using the email address they provided to the school. There is also an app which can be used to view messages and manage preferences.
A test of the system will be conducted on February 11, 2022 at 4pm.
Parents/guardians who do not receive a text, or those who have questions can reach out to their school to ensure their mobile number is correctly recorded.
If a parent has not provided a cell phone number to their child’s school or if their cell phone number has changes at any time, they can update their contact information by call their school office directly.
Over time, schools may use the system to provide timely reminders to parents about school-related activities.
Those who do not wish to receive these alert text messages should not reply to the opt-in invitation message, or text “STOP” to 978338 at any time.
All parents/guardians are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to strengthen communications with schools in emergency situations.
Media Contact:
Autumn Tremere
Department of Education and Lifelong Learning
agtremere@gov.pe.ca