Improving the Parent/Teacher Communications Network
By: Paul Langhorst
Since the days of the one-room schoolhouse, parents have been subject to the grind of the rumor mill. Back then, rumors spread slowly, but with today's close-knit, electronically connected parent communities, rumors spread rapidly and become a source of major frustration for school administrators. With thousands of minor incidents each year in schools across the country, abating gossip is part of a school administrator's job. This can be even more nerve-racking than the actual event.
New technology has given schools the capability to provide accurate information to parents in order to immediately squash rumors. The rapid dispersal of accurate information is the key to keeping a fender-bender from becoming a "tragedy."
Last year, Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis was faced with a situation that could have quickly spiraled out of control. But quick-thinking administrators and the use of a parent notification system kept things under control.
The incident occurred one morning during the commute to school. A chartered school bus loaded with students was involved in a minor traffic accident. A rumor of a major accident scene quickly spread. In reality, a large number of emergency vehicles had been dispatched to the scene as part of standard response procedures involving school bus incidents. There were no injuries to the students, and the accident caused nothing more than a delay on the way to school.
Due to the large emergency vehicle turnout and the close proximity to the school, other students and passersby immediately started calling parents and local media about a major accident involving a school bus filled with children.
Upon hearing the news, parents began frantically calling the Westminster office for details about the perceived "major" accident. The spread of these unsubstantiated rumors could have started a chain reaction that might have turned a situation that was well under control into a chaotic scene.
Alert school administrators broadcast a message to parents who were hearing rumors of a "bus accident" involving their child's school. The recorded message sent to parents' home and cell phone numbers highlighted the facts of the situation and explained the large emergency vehicle presence. The message quickly ended gossip and put hundreds of parents at ease. The message demonstrated the powerful reaction an official, automated call can have in a volatile situation.
In addition to unforeseen events such as a bus accident, unexpected inclement weather situations can cause nightmares for school administrators. One of the most stressful events for any administrator is the dreaded mid-day school dismissal due to a winter storm. Parents and students wonder about early dismissal and canceled classes.
In December 2006, when temperatures fell, an early morning rain shower turned into a very dangerous ice storm, ultimately knocking out power to more than 500,000 homes. As the ice accumulated, area schools began the dreaded task of an unplanned mid-day dismissal. Villa Duchense/Oak Hill School, a pre-K-12 suburban St. Louis school, was readily prepared for the task as it employed their notification system to alert parents about an emergency closure. And, it took just one phone call.
"In the past, for an early dismissal, we would use phone chains, manned by room parents and staff to reach parents," said Dr. Patty Fagin, principal of Villa Duchesne. "It [the phone chain] would take hours, and some parents would get skipped due to confusion."
The system was activated by the school one week before the storm and was immediately put to the test. The school chose to partner with a parent notification system to avoid the long delays and inconsistencies that come with a phone chain system manned by teachers and staff.
Dr. Fagin recorded a message that was immediately sent out to hundreds of parents. Within minutes of the broadcast, parents began arriving at the school to pick up their children. Within 30 minutes of the first calls being sent, every child, except one, had been picked up. In fact, the parents of the last child had contacted the school to let them know that they had received the automated call and were on their way to pick up the child.
Since the storm, Villa Duchense/Oak Hill has used the parent notification system on a number of occasions regarding upcoming school events and a power outage in one of the school's buildings. But the trial by fire, or in this case ice, resulted in a smooth and orderly dismissal of students.
In the past, schools often had to rely on "telephone trees" or individual calls generated from a school's main office. These antiquated methods often resulted in many parents never receiving a call, receiving messages late, and creating a stressful situation in addition to the original cause for calling.
The new technology offered by parent notification companies provides school administrators with the ability to record a telephone message and send it out to thousands of parents in less than 10 minutes.
These improved communications systems present schools with the opportunity to dispense information to parents more accurately and more efficiently. In addition, these communications solutions allow school administrators to get in front of a developing situation. Rumor abatement is a critical element in emergency communications. The ability to quickly control the flow of accurate information in a developing situation allows school administrators to avoid the spread of confusion by unsubstantiated rumors.
Due to their low cost and ease of implementation, parent notification systems are becoming more common among schools across the country. The sophisticated method of relaying information to parents is simple to use and very cost effective.
As was highlighted in these two situations, a parent notification system provides a clear channel of communications during an emergency and effectively broadcasts a message that remains on point, while dispelling any growing rumors surrounding an event.
Paul Langhorst is co-founder and vice president of operations of GroupCast Messaging Systems, LLC, www.groupcast.com.
