Arlington ISD implements new alert system to send updates during an emergency
ARLINGTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Safety and security has been at the top of many people's minds as Arlington Independent School District students prepare to start class next week.
The district has announced the launch of a new alert system to send updates to everyone during and after an emergency.
"The first things a parent wants to know is what's going on at my school and that's an appropriate response, everyone would want to know," said Arlington ISD Superintendent, Dr. Marcelo Cavazos.
He said he can never guarantee that there won't be an emergency within the district, but he said he can say they have plans in place and plan to communicate with you at home or work about what's happening.
"The website is there and it's robust and will always be updated with the most recent information," Cavazos said.
Now the district can post information in real time if there's an emergency going on across the district with a new security tracker.
It's a part of Arlington ISD's safety and security website. Cavazos said this is important because during a lockdown, staff will not be able to answer phones.
If something happens the staff will simply post a new message with details on the site and anyone can go on and see it, even after it happens it will archive on the website.
"They go to one trusted site that we operate, communications team operates and it's in partnership with Arlington Police Department and law enforcement so that it's clear," Cavazos said. "Communication is that first key step in making sure we have a safe environment."
He said they want to make sure parents can have access to all the information they may need.
"In the past, we had text messages and other ways to communicate with parents, we still have those but what we found is that there were gaps in that because not every parent signed up for text messaging," Cavazos said.
Cavazos also said this is something the district had been working on before the Uvalde school shooting. He hopes this helps stop the spread of false rumors during any situation. Also, other people in the public and at other campuses can stay up to date too.
"This tool allows us to tell everybody what's going on at the school so there's appropriate response across the district," Cavazos said.
You can find more information here.
