In response the lockdown which occurred earlier this year, Superintendent Steven Isoye released a statement to on Nov. 27 regarding how the district will begin to notify families about school closings and emergencies. Many parents were ill-informed on what was going on and drove to the school to make sure their kids were not in danger. The district hopes that for future incidents, sending a text message will keep the parents more accurately informed. In past years, the district has sent mass calls only, but will now additionally send texts to cell phone numbers that parents and guardians have provided.

“I think everyone will benefit from it,” English teacher Sharon Swanson said. “During the last lockdown, I had parents texting wrong information to the students in my room. [They said] things like there’s a shooter in the school, are you okay. I think that if parents will get the right information from the get-go, they don’t need to text their kids wrong information.”

The district also hopes that it will be easier for parents to be better informed about weather closings.

“We encourage you to update this information within the coming week,” Isoye stated. “In the event we have a school emergency, whether it be a serious incident (such as a lockdown) or school closing due to weather, our goal is to communicate quickly and accurately to our families. Please remember that D219’s primary way to communicate is through our district website. In the case of any important developing news about our schools, please go to our website for the most updated and accurate information. Our communications protocol calls for us to post information on the front page of the website as soon as we have important information to share.”

Some parents were delighted to hear about the implementation of texts because of the convenience.

“This is a great idea because it gives first-hand information about any emergency situations or school closings,” parent Shaji Khatoon said. “Since I always have my phone on me it’s easy to get a notification rather than checking my email.”

“I check my texts a lot during the day but some days I don’t even check my email. It’s definitely better [to send texts].” parent Lucresse Cayemitte said.

Even students agreed that texts are a more efficient way of receiving messages.

“I don’t have to get ready and then have my parents tell me later that school is canceled since it is convenient and quick. Most people have smartphones now so it’s nice,” senior Emily Duong said.