School Emergency Protocols

In reply to Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (9 February 2016).

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Minister for Education and Child Development, Minister for Higher Education and Skills): I have been advised:

Eleven of the schools affected by hoax telephone threats over the course of 4 and 5 February 2016 use or possess a dedicated SMS notification system as part of their emergency communication protocols.

Schools and governing councils have the autonomy to decide the most appropriate communication methods for their community. This will inevitably vary, dependent on the location, size and demographic of the school and its community.

For example, there is no value in the use of a SMS notification system in areas with consistently poor mobile reception or the use of 'push' notifications on a smart phone app in communities that cannot, or habitually do not, access a mobile internet connection.

For these reasons there are no present plans to mandate the use of SMS notification systems in all schools.