School Closing Protocol & Not Vietnam Calling

November 15, 2022

Grand Ledge Public School Families,

It is getting to be that time of the year... the time when folks begin to wonder if school might get canceled.  So, please take a moment to review the full School Closing Protocol, but here are some key ideas:

• The decision to close school is made through a thoughtful and deliberative process and considers many factors.  And, most importantly, these decisions are made with concern for the safety of students and staff. 
• Administrators assess roads in our almost 120-square-mile district – which includes rural areas as well as suburban and city areas – and not all areas face the same weather conditions and get the same amount of plowing.
• School closing decisions are usually made in the early morning, usually no later than 5:30 a.m.
• School closing information is sent to families by automated phone calls, SMS text messages, and emails as well as posted on GLcomets.net and shared with local TV and radio stations.

It really is GLPS calling, even if your phone seems to think it is Vietnam.  GLPS uses SchoolMessenger, and it uses the phone number (844) 261-6741.  Sometimes phones interpret the first two digits of that number – 84 – as an international code, and 84 is the international code for Vietnam.  We have contacted our vendors, and they are aware of the issue and are working on fixing it (but gave us no timeline).  I apologize for any confusion and frustration.  It may help if you add (844) 261-6741 as a contact.  

If you want to get text messages from the school district, be sure your mobile number is listed in our SchoolMessenger system.  The SchoolMessenger Settings Guide provides instructions for you to view and adjust your notification preferences.  If your mobile number is already listed in the “My contact information” section, you can then select what type of notifications you want to get text messages about in the “My message preferences” section.  If your mobile number is not listed in the “My contact information” section, then please contact your school’s main office to have your mobile number added.

The IMPORTANT final step is to text “Y” or “yes” to 67587 from your mobile phone to confirm you want to get text messages.  (If you ever want to stop getting them, simply text “STOP” to 67587.)  If you added (844) 261-6741 as a contact, you could also add 67587 as another phone number for it.  

One final thought for this message: missing spoons can sometimes be found under children's pillows this time of year.  =)

Thanks,
John Ellsworth