Parents can sign-up for cell phone alerts

Emergency texting feature added to School News Notifier 

POSTED: March 23, 2009

Want to be one of the first to know about school closings and delays? Parents with children in the Port Jervis School District can now sign up to have text messages sent to their cell phone to alert them about early dismissals, inclement weather delays, and other school emergencies.

The new emergency notification system is being offered to parents through the district’s electronic School News Notifier (SNN) system. An “opt-in” alert service, SNN was launched in 2006 to help keep parents and the community better informed about what’s happing in the Port Jervis schools through e-mail notices.

Upgrades to the opt-in alert system were developed by Capital Region BOCES as part of the district’s ongoing efforts to improve student safety. Under the new system, the district is able to provide parents – particularly those who may not have access to a computer during the school day – with immediate notice of time-sensitive emergency information. Those who subscribe to the free service will receive an emergency text alert within minutes after the superintendent makes an emergency closure decision.

Families who do not have cell phones can continue to sign-up to have emergency notices sent directly to their home and/or work computers. Along with emergency alerts, parents and community members can also sign-up to receive district news and important notices from each of the district’s four schools. Users can choose to receive any or all of the alerts, and they can unsubscribe at any time.

To sign up, simply click the SNN logo on the district homepage to subscribe to the service. Anyone with questions about the School News Notifier is encouraged to contact district communications specialist Debbie Jackson at dejackson@pjschools.org.

During the initial phase of the new SNN text service, Port Jervis is working with program developers at Capital Region BOCES to ensure the new service meets the needs of our subscribers. If at any time during the test phase you experience technical difficulties signing up or receiving messages, please contact Jackson.