Didn't get a text from Leon Schools? What we know about the emergency alert's bumpy test

Leon County Schools tested its Rapid Communications System for parents with a text message at 6:10 p.m. Tuesday, but many parents said they did not receive one – despite having updated their contact information in the Focus portal.

"Neither my husband or I received the text. I checked Focus and our info is correct and the SMS box is checked. We received texts last year and the ones earlier in August about the buses," one Facebook user said, for instance.

After the May 10 tornadoes, the district implemented the Rapid Communications System (RCS) to better communicate with parents and teachers in a state of emergency.

RCS will only be used in for urgent matters, district spokesperson Chris Petley said.

The test, while bumpy, was still effective, he added: Over 20,000 parents received the text.

The district has been in communication with RCS and Focus to figure out why some messages weren't received. Parents who opted for messages in a different language – such as Arabic, Spanish or Korean – may not have received a text because of a system error.

"There are some kinks we are working out with the company to make sure parents are getting messages quickly and effectively," Petley said.

There is no date for a retest as of yet, Petley said, but the district will perform quarterly tests.

Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ABrown1@gannett.com . Follow her on Twitter/X: @AlaijahBrown3 .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Didn't get a text from Leon Schools? What we know about the emergency alert's bumpy test