Emergency Notification Proccedures

Emergency Notification Procedures (School Closing, Early Dismissal).

The safety of the students, faculty and staff here at Indian Rocks Christian School is one of our top priorities. For that reason, we have adopted the Saf-T-Net ALERTNOW Rapid Notification Service. This service will allow us to send a message to ALL of our students' parents at multiple contact numbers within minutes after an emergency or incident has occurred at the school.

Messages that you receive may be used to alert parents and other emergency contacts of a situation occurring at the school. They may also be used to give emergency instructions to parents on what they need to do to respond. We may also use ALERTNOW to send important non-emergency messages out to parents, such as early closings due to weather conditions.

The successful delivery of messages is dependent upon accurate contact information for each student, so please make certain that we have your most current contact information. If this information changes during the year, please let us know immediately.

ALERTNOW Important Information:

• Your caller ID will display the school's phone number (727-596-4321) anytime the school sends out a "general notification" call. These calls will contain information for your knowledge about important parent meetings, report card reminders, or early dismissal or school closing due to inclement weather. If you miss the call, please do not call the school back before you first listen to your message to determine if it is a matter which requires you to return the call.

• Be sure to say "Hello" when you answer the phone. There is a slight three second pause once the phone has been answered. Please stay on the line. The system needs to detect a couple seconds of silence to determine whether a live person has picked up the phone or an answering machine. Do not keep saying hello.

The system is capable of leaving a message on your voicemail or answering machine. However, the system is set to ring each line six (6) times. If your answering machine is set to pick up after the sixth ring, a message will not be delivered to your machine. We encourage you to set it at five (5) rings or less.
If you have such things as Telemarketer Zapper or Privacy Director on your telephone lines, you may not receive the call. For example, with Privacy Director, all incoming calls are rerouted and the callers must identify themselves for the call to go through. Because our system is automated, it will not identify, thus the call cannot get through to your number.
The successful delivery of messages is dependent upon accurate contact information for each student so please make certain that we have the most up-to-date contact information at all times. If this information changes during the year please let us know immediately. All families will be asked to complete a Current Contact Information Form each year during re-enrollment or enrollment.

Additional Official Sources of Information Regarding School Closings:

• WTBN AM 570 and AM 910 is the official radio station for IRCS information.

• www.ircs.org is the official school website.

Recorded messages concerning closings and re-openings will be posted on the school's main phone lines: 727-596-4321 and 727-596-4342.

PLEASE NOTE: IRCS does not follow the Pinellas County School system for emergency school closure. Pinellas County Schools assessment of conditions will be heavily considered, however a large school district has concerns and logistical problems that do not necessarily apply to a single campus.

Please do not rely on only one of the above systems. Many things can be affected in a disaster, so use multiple options for the best results. If there is an unsafe situation in your particular neighborhood or on the streets you travel, then it is your responsibility to make the best decision for your family.