by Jennifer E. Brown

Created on: September 15, 2008

It's the middle of lecture on another school day like many others during the semester. Students are taking notes, zoning out from the teacher, or looking out classroom window. Gunshots begin going off in the hallway, and in classrooms all over campus cell-phones are beginning to receive emergency text messages. This emergency text-message alert system has gained popularly since such national school shootings as Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University. This system has the ability to reach thousands of people within minutes.

How does this system work? If a school shooting occurs, all students and faculty that have provided their cell phone number to the school will be notified of the occurrence. While some companies may charge fees for this service, others will offer a free service with advertising. In addition, it's a certain way for administrators to reach all students in means of closure, weather, or violent attacks. The only issue that may keep students from signing up is the fee that their carriers may charge for each message if they don't have a text-messaging package.

This emergency procedure has doubled on college campuses over the past year in a need to reach students. Also in place are such things as web alerts, campus wide emails, and auto-dial phone messages. Universities are no longer taking chances with their students safety. With the awakening of Virginia Tech and NIU, administrators have learned to take stricter measures. An example of universities taking stricter measures is DePaul University, who requires each student to use their ID to go into rooms.

While schools have already initiated this emergency plan, carriers and the FCC are working together to bring it to a national level. If the FCC passes this, it could send Americans text messages in cases such as life-threatening weather, terrorist attacks, or child abductions. T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint and AT & T are all likely to pick up this plan.

Students won't have to worry about their phone number being sold when they sign up for text message alert. With this system, phone numbers are kept in a secure database to be used only in emergency. They'll often direct people to media stations or web sites for more information. If this is a step to keep our students safe, then perhaps administrators are taking the right precautions. It's America's duty to protect its children.

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