News Item
Practising crisis texts vital
1st May 2007, Adelaide Advertiser
by Xanthe Kleinig
SCHOOLS with mass text messaging services need to practise their crisis communication as if it was a fire drill, according to an Adelaide company that sells the technology.
MGM Wireless has been inundated with interest from American educational institutions, after the Virginia Tech shooting massacre.
In South Australia, 53 schools use mass text messaging to communicate with parents and students.
MGM Wireless chairman Mark Fortunatow said parents and students needed to be familiar with the kind of message they would receive in an emergency.
"Schools need to have procedures in place and practise it twice a year - just as they practise a fire drill," he said.
The Virginia Tech tragedy had proven the effectiveness of text messaging, he said.
"What is clearly evident as a result of Virginia Tech is the only way you can reach all of these stakeholders, in a rapid period of time, is through text messaging," he said.
Norwood Morialta High School sends parents text messages to notify the school of absenteeism.
Year 10 student Paul Maivan, 15, said: "In case I've gone missing or there was an accident, it's good because it gets to parents straight away." Mother Elisabeth Maivan praised the service.
Highgate Primary school is the first Australian primary school to sign on for the technology and will begin using it this term.
Principal Peter Hansberry said the school would use it to message parents about meetings, parent-teacher nights and cancelled sports, as well as for emergencies.
"The beauty of text messaging is that people are seven times more likely to read it than other forms of communication," he said.
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