Schools Cast Wide Net to Communicate with Parents

The days of waiting for the TV to report a snow closure are over. Parents and students can now be at the bleeding edge of the official word thanks to a wide communications net cast by the school system.

The first word confirming that Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) would be closed Tuesday began spreading at about 5 a.m. The first people to be in the know received email and text messages from an automated service used by the school system. To receive these, parents or students must opt in to a communications list.

At the same time, word was put out on social media networks and websites. Thirty minutes later, a phone call goes out to everyone on the approved list.

But in these days of multiple phones and emails, how can you be sure your current contact information is on the right list? 

The school system's public information office recently addressed commonly asked questions like this in a document that lays out its notification procedures and troubleshoots typical problems parents have encountered in the past.

The document also specifies that parents who feel bombarded by notifications will soon be able to pick their preferred communication method.

See the full Q&A document here.