Albert Gallatin embraces Facebook as new information source
Superintendent Carl Bezjak was at the Albert Gallatin Senior High School one afternoon when he heard rumors circulating among parents about a possible threat to students.
The threat, which was being communicated through social media, was that a student planned to bring a gun to school.
The initial threat was never located, however, and in the end, it was an unsubstantiated rumor.
“I think the time is now to move forward with social media,” Bezjak said. “I think it is the No. 1 source of the information — the way parents, and community wants to receive it.”
Bezjak has headed up an effort to create an official Facebook page for the Albert Gallatin Area School District, which will serve as the newest form of communication for parents and community members.
Not only will the page be used to broadcast positive district news, but also to dispel any rumors that may pop up in the future.
“We constantly convene to see how can we get the information to the parents quicker and better — it is social media,” Bezjak said.
“To fight fire with fire, I believe we have to have our own Facebook account. We feel that they could get that information quicker than I could through the local newspaper or Channel 2, 4 or 11.”
A few years ago, the district began using multimedia messaging service (MMS) to communicate information to parents, as well as a parent portal, which allows a parent to assess his or her child’s grades and homework online.
From there, Bezjak said the district was inspired to conduct a parent survey to discover the channels parents use to receive information.
“We look to the parents, faculty, staff and even students as far as, what do you guys want to see from us? How do you want to get the information?” said Chris Bolin, director of Technology for the Albert Gallatin School District.
Bezjak said it was necessary to move forward with Facebook, and the official page has been up and running since May 1.
“From what I’ve seen … we cannot release information quick enough unless we do it through Facebook,” Bezjak said.
He believes many parents are aware of the district’s new Facebook page, but will be sending a letter to all parents at the beginning of the year to inform them of this new information source.
“You’re getting it (the information) from the superintendent,” he said.
He added that this, along with MMS, is a better avenue than the district’s one call alert system.
“Voices disappear,” he said. “We’ve gone to texting now. I like that a lot better. I like encrypted information. It’s there, you can forward it, it doesn’t change. That’s our new informational highway other than Facebook. We are going to attack every avenue.”
The Facebook page will now be part of the district’s crisis plan.
He said incidents like the stabbings at Franklin Regional Senior High School in Murrysville will be communicated to district recipients with any pertinent information.
“I think this is the best resource we have if we utilize it with thought, and we try to do our very best with it,” he said. “It’s a good resource. Albert Gallatin wants to stay on the cutting edge of it. This is what they (parents) want. Quick, accurate information, from the people at the source of the incident, whether good or bad.”
According to Bolin, the district is also considering the creation of a Twitter account that would be geared toward the same purpose.
“Facebook, Twitter, those are things that every parent, every student, mostly everybody has these days, so if they can get the information there, without having to check anything, log into anything, calling into somewhere, of course it’s going to be very beneficial,” Bolin said.