Tuesday, October 7, 2008 9:17 PM CDT
In emergency, text messaging has pros, cons
By NATHANIEL WEST, Staff Writer
nwest@jg-tc.com
MATTOON — After the shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, higher education officials across the country scrambled to implement emergency notification systems that rely partly on cell phone text messaging.
However, in addition to providing potentially lifesaving information, the use of text messaging in emergencies has its drawbacks.
Just ask officials in the Mattoon school district, who found themselves fighting an uphill technological battle last week after a lone student’s misinterpretation of apparently illegible graffiti blossomed into near-hysteria thanks largely to a flurry of text messaging by other students.
“We just could not stay ahead of the misinformation,” said Mattoon Superintendent Larry Lilly. “How do we embrace that technology, to make it a tool that we can use to get the correct information out there?”
It’s a question that other high school and college officials in Coles County are wrestling with as they look at the pros and cons of text messaging. Officials believe text messaging contributes to the problem of misinformation, but also may be part of the solution.
Following last week’s fiasco, Mattoon administrators this week are checking into software similar to that installed by numerous universities in response to the Virginia Tech and NIU shootings. The program would enable mass text messages to students who have already provided their cell phone numbers.
Charleston Superintendent Jim Littleford said officials there also will “explore” a text messaging alert system.
But at the high school level, this creates an interesting dilemma: Cell phone use is prohibited in school, so any text message alert theoretically would go unread by rule-abiding students.
Of course, such restrictions certainly didn’t stop MHS students from sneaking off and sending out panicked text messages last Friday as word of some ambiguous, pending act of violence spread like a virus.
Despite emails to faculty, updates on the school district’s Web site and recorded calls to parents who previously provided their phone numbers, administrators could not keep up with the text message rumor mill, Lilly said.
School offices were inundated with phone calls, and administrators granted students a free pass for skipping classes Monday. About half of the students at MHS took advantage of the offer, Lilly reported Tuesday.
The whole incident apparently started with some cryptic graffiti on the sidewalk in front of the school. School personnel had struggled to remove it for two weeks prior to Friday’s outbreak.
“I couldn’t read it,” Lilly said. “It was walked on by thousands of people over two weeks, but we had one person interpret it as a threat.”
The Charleston school district likewise has a telephone system, called “Parent Link,” which places calls to parents within 30 minutes of its activation. “Currently, the Parent Link is the fastest information we have available,” Littleford said.
And then there’s the good old-fashioned public address system. “To me, it might be just as quick to get (the) verbal message out there,” said Littleford.
“I don’t know. We certainly will explore (text messaging).”
Eastern Illinois University has established Alert EIU, which in the event of an emergency sends text messages to students, faculty and staff who have submitted their cell phone numbers.
The text messages direct recipients to check their campus email or the EIU Web site. “We would not rely on a text message to fully explain an imminent life-threatening situation,” said Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs.
The texting system also would be limited to extreme situations, such as a shooting, a bomb threat, etc., Nadler added. “We view the text messaging as representing the most serious alert and warning system,” he said.
EIU also is equipped with sirens and security cameras. “We treat our text messaging service as one important mechanism included in a comprehensive emergency response initiative,” Nadler said.
Lake Land College, meanwhile, is nearing the launch of its own text messaging alert system. And officials there indicated it may be used more liberally than at EIU, as text message notifications may address more banal topics such as canceled classes, sports scores and club meetings.
“We’re trying to communicate in as many ways as possible as quickly as possible,” said Lee Spaniol, director of information systems and services, noting that email and Web updates also are vital cogs in the mechanism.
Damming up the flow of misinformation would be a secondary but important function, Spaniol added.
“However you hear about it, we’re hoping to have an answer available to you,” he said.
Contact Nathaniel West at nwest@jg-tc.com or 238-6860.
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Mike P wrote on Oct 4, 2008 12:24 PM:
Kids are there to learn. The district needs to get some prioities in order, before it goes addressing problems that happened because it didn't want to offend a few parents by telling them to keep their kids electronic communications devices off campus.
The phone message system might need updated, so it can give immediate calls,when necessary, instead of a 30 minute delay. I don't think going solo, on a bulk text message service, is waranted for districts this size. See if Eastern and Lakeland have capability to get in with their existing systems. It would likely be a lot cheaper, and I don't believe either of their campuses would be close to the capacities Champaign school districts have. Meet with Eastern, Lakeland, Champaign and Decatur schools, leaders and see what issues they had, suggest, and so on. All this talk about communication, and running up to the neighbors, to see what they did, is not looked at before calling a company to sell you thier plan. Thats poor management. Par for the course.
Has there even been a poll of how many students parents have and want text messaging notification, before tax payers money gets thrown at this? "