| Lauderdale incorporates Alertnow phone system The
Lauderdale County School system recently took another step
toward providing safer schools for its students with the
purchase of an Alertnow phone system, which allows quicker and
more accurate communication between school officials, teachers,
and parents.
“It's a two-fold thing,” said Superintended Phillip Jackson.
“Number one, (it provides) safer schools, and number two, it's
just another way to communicate with the families in our
system.” Jackson said that the system, which is able to send
messages to all the
teachers and families in the system at the same time, coupled
with cameras, fencing, hand-held metal detectors, and the use of
drug dogs periodically, will continue to provide safer schools
for students in the county's school system.
“It's multi-faceted,” said Jackson. “I can call every household
with a student in the system and every teacher. Or we can set up
groups, so we can just send messages for the teachers, the
certified employees, or the principals can send a message to
just the teachers at their schools.” Jackson said that the phone
system addresses the importance of getting
accurate information to the families of the students in the
system, as well.
“It's important that all parents get the same message from the
same person,” said Jackson. “The biggest issue we have to deal
with is rumors, and most of the information spread is false.
(It's important that they are) getting the message and getting
the same message.”
The system will also be used to notify families of school
closings due to inclement weather. Although officials in the
school system will continue to use the radio and television
media, a phone call to each student's home can be set up to go
out in the morning, so that parents are informed immediately of
a decision to close school.
Residents who receive calls from the new phone system will hear
a pause similar to the sound a telemarketing system makes, so
Jackson urges parents to be patient and listen to the message or
check the Caller I.D. before they disconnect the cal
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