Unit # 9 Offers New Service to Alert Parents
of Closings and Other School-Related Emergencies
Now
Unit # 9 parents can be alerted to school closings and other
school-related emergencies via text message and e-mail through
School Alert – a new service made possible by the I-KAN Regional
Office of Education’s Emergency Response and Crisis Management
Project.
Examples of emergency uses for School Alert include severe
weather warnings and weather-related school closings, emergency
and crisis situations and reunification procedures for parents
and students. Only emergency warnings are sent as text
messages.
School Alert is part of Sheriff Alert – the Kankakee County
Sheriff Department’s Mass Notification System. Funding from a
federal Emergency Response and Crisis Management grant made it
possible for the I-KAN Regional Office of Education to purchase
licenses for Unit #9 participants in the School Alert Program.
Registering for School Alert is easy and free. From the website
at schools.sheriffalert.com users register their e-mail
address and cell phones and choose which types of messages and
safety alerts they want to receive. They also have the ability
to update and change their preferences at the same website.
There is no cost to use either School Alert or Sheriff Alert –
except for the per text message fee that may be charged by
individual cell phone providers. There is no charge to receive
e-mails.
Superintendent Steve Bianchetta stated, “School Alert is a means
for parents to be notified of crisis and emergency situations in
a quick and convenient manner. We are grateful to the I-KAN ROE
and Kankakee County Sheriff’s Department for providing this
service and we hope as many parents as possible participate.”
For
more information, Click on the button below to sign up.
