School alert system gets praise in first use

By Staff
Leada Gore, Hartselle Enquirer
The first real-time test of Hartselle City School’s early notification system exceeded expectations, according to Superintendent Mike Reed.
The alert system was put into operation Jan. 10 when severe weather rolled into Morgan County. Hartselle School officials closed schools at 1:30 p.m. and used the new notification system to alert parents.
The early notification system allows parents, grandparents or other adults to receive notifications about school closings or other emergencies via email, a cell phone call, text message or home phone call. The alerts can be sent to parents system-wide or can be school specific.
The school board contracts with High Ground Solutions to provide the service.
Parents received notification about the system earlier in the year. Reed said he was disappointed with the number of responses from parents and would like to see more participation.
Hartselle pays $2.85 cents per student and faculty member for the service.
Parents can still submit contact information to receive the alerts. To receive access codes to the site, call the school board at 773-5419.