Batavia High School uses Twitter to communicate with students, parents

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BATAVIA – Batavia High School has turned to Twitter as another way to communicate with students and parents.

The high school recently launched its first Twitter accounts – one for the high school and one for counseling and advising. Twitter is a free social networking and blogging service that allows its users to send and read messages known as tweets.

School officials stressed that the Twitter accounts will not replace any existing form of communication, including the school district's Messenger system.

"It's a great tool that we can use in a number of ways," Batavia High School Principal Lisa Hichens said. "For example, if our track team is headed to a meet in Rochelle and the meet is canceled, with one Tweet we can let everyone know about that change, saving them the drive out there."

Once the account is created, a user can follow the Batavia High School Twitter account and have the messages sent directly to a cell phone.

To sign up for the high school's Twitter account, one can go to https://bhs.bps101.net/bhs/bhs-twitter-accounts.

Batavia High School is following the lead of other school districts like Kaneland and St. Charles school districts which already have Twitter accounts.

"We just use it as an additional communication means," St. Charles School District spokesman Jim Blaney said. "I view it as an added communication option, but not an exclusive option."

As popular as Twitter is, Blaney realizes that not everybody uses it. The school district only has 254 followers after starting it in the spring.

The district has an enrollment of 14,000 students.

"I think people are really searching out what the most effective way of using it is," Blaney said.

Geneva School District does not plan to use Twitter anytime soon.

"We currently have a voluntary e-mail service that people can sign up for," said Kelley Munch, communications coordinator for Geneva School District. "We are trying to increase subscribers to that before adding another electronic communication tool. We are always evaluating our communication outlets. Twitter is on our radar for a potential communication tool."

Kaneland School District has been using Twitter since the summer to alert users of any new items posted to the district's Web page. But it is not the district's only form of communication.

"We don't want to use Twitter for essential communication," said Nic Borg, the district's Web master. "We have a phone call system that is in place for an emergency."

Want to follow your school on Twitter?

Batavia High School – https://bhs.bps101.net/bhs/bhs-twitter-accounts

St. Charles School District – twitter.com/StCharlesD303

Kaneland School District – twitter.com/Kaneland

Geneva School District is currently not on Twitter

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