LOCAL SCHOOL ALERTS

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In the meantime, please email your questions to info@localschoolalertswv.com or call 304-701-8683.

Why Local School Alerts Uses Our Website Instead of Social Media

Written By: Taran Nicholson | October 12, 2026

We get asked all the time why Local School Alerts doesn't use social media anymore. That is a completely fair question, and we are glad to share the answer with you!

When so many organizations rely on platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Snapchat, etc. to reach people, it makes sense to wonder why we stepped away. In fact, when we first launched back on September 10, 2019, we used social media constantly and built up thousands of likes, shares, and followers. But as our operations grew to cover all 55 West Virginia counties, relying on third-party platforms created major hurdles for the critical work we do every day.

After looking at all the options, we found that hosting our own website is by far the best decision for our organization and the communities we serve. Here is why managing our own platform is essential to keeping our statewide community informed:

1. Eliminating Third-Party Algorithms and Restrictions
Emergency closures, active law enforcement situations, and time-sensitive school alerts cannot wait for a social media algorithm to decide who gets to see them.

Platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. routinely restrict reach, filter content, or experience sudden outages. By hosting everything directly on our website, every alert is published immediately and remains accessible to everyone—no social media account required.

2. Full Transparency and Public Information Reporting
In addition to weather closures and delay notices, our coverage includes sensitive but vital news—such as staff arrests, legal issues, and active law enforcement investigations impacting local school districts. We publish these reports so parents, staff, and community members always know what is happening in their schools.

Every piece of news we post is verified public record information—the exact same information covered by local news stations, newspapers, and official agencies. We never publish private details. However, third-party social media networks frequently flag or censor legitimate public-record reporting. Operating independently on our own website ensures our news remains fully transparent, objective, and unfiltered.

3. Fast, Reliable Access vs. Social Media Feeds
When critical incidents or weather events happen, social media makes finding specific updates difficult. Even if you visit a Facebook page directly, you often have to scroll through countless posts to find the specific article or topic you are looking for—assuming the post isn't completely buried in your main newsfeed.

Our website eliminates that hassle completely. We strongly encourage everyone to save our website directly to your devices for immediate, one-click access:

Smartphones & Tablets: Add our web page directly to your iPhone or Android home screen so it acts just like an app icon for instant updates.
Computers & Laptops: Create a shortcut right on your desktop, or save our link under the bookmarks bar or favorites tab on your primary web browser—such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, etc.

By saving our link directly, you gain immediate access to verified alerts and public reporting without digging through feeds or relying on algorithms.

Looking Ahead to the Future
Moving away from social media has allowed us to build a more direct, dependable, and transparent communications hub for the entire state. We are truly honored to serve parents, school staff, administrators, and community members across all 55 West Virginia counties, and we look forward to continuing to deliver fast, reliable, and accurate information for many more years to come!

Big News: Easy New Ways to Pay Coming Soon!

Written By: Taran Nicholson | October 12, 2026

Since the day we opened our doors on September 10, 2019, Local School Alerts has strictly accepted cash, checks, and money orders. Over the years, many of our clients, customers, and community members have reached out asking if we could accept card payments—and we listened! We are excited to adapt to your needs and announce that we will soon be accepting credit and debit card payments from all major providers, including Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express, as well as digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay.

While we won't process transactions directly through our website, we are rolling out two convenient, secure ways for you to make purchases using your card or phone:

Over-the-Phone Payments: When you are ready to place an order or settle an account, simply give our office a call. Our staff will use our new secure online portal to process your card payment over the phone in real time.
In-Person Mobile Payments: We are taking our payment machine on the road! Whether you see us at local vendor shows, community events, or regional conventions, we will have a mobile reader on hand so you can easily tap, swipe, insert your card, or use contactless mobile pay right at our booth.

How Processing Fees Work
To help cover third-party processing costs, a 3% convenience fee will be added to all credit card transactions, while standard merchant processing fees apply to debit card payments.

Here’s an example: If your purchase total comes out to $100.00, a $3.00 convenience fee will be added, making your total card payment $103.00. The $100.00 goes directly toward your purchase, while the $3.00 fee goes straight to the merchant credit card processing platform—our company only receives the $100.00 amount.

Sales Tax & Clear Receipt Breakdowns
Applicable sales tax will be applied to taxable products and services as required by law (note that while some of our services are tax-exempt, others require tax).

To ensure complete transparency, every transaction receipt will clearly specify a full line-by-line itemization—showing your subtotal, any applicable sales tax, the credit card processing fee, and the final grand total so you know exactly where every dollar goes.

Cash, checks, and money orders will remain standard payment methods without convenience fees. We deeply appreciate your feedback and continued support, and we look forward to bringing you these new payment options very soon—stay tuned for our official rollout date!

Local School Alerts Operational Update: Open for Columbus Day

Written By: Taran Nicholson | October 9, 2026

At Local School Alerts, our primary commitment is providing dependable emergency messaging and critical notification services to educational communities across West Virginia. Because prompt communication can be vital at any moment, our team closely coordinates its operating schedule with the real-time needs of the school districts and communities we serve daily.

Because Columbus Day on Monday, October 12, 2026, is not designated as an official mandatory school holiday under West Virginia Code §18A-5-2, public school districts throughout the state remain eligible to hold regular instructional days or conduct staff development. Our company policy aligns directly with active school calendars across the state: Unless all 55 West Virginia counties are fully closed for both staff and students, Local School Alerts remains 100% open and operational.

While our office closes for select major holidays, our operational calendar closely mirrors the active public school schedule to ensure uninterrupted service when administrators, teachers, and parents need us most. Because schools remain active across the state, our standard business office will be open on Monday, October 12, 2026, during regular hours from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and our 24/7 Live Emergency Alert & Dispatch Operations Center will continue to monitor, process, and route emergency communications around the clock without interruption.

For general inquiries, system updates, or immediate emergency support, please contact our team directly through our dispatch center or standard support lines:

Phone: 304-701-8683
Email: info@localschoolalertswv.com

Local School Alerts Upgrades to Microsoft 365 to Better Serve Our Community

Written By: Taran Nicholson | September 25, 2026

At Local School Alerts, based right here in Burnsville, West Virginia, our top priority is ensuring local families, schools, and community members receive timely, dependable updates when it matters most. To keep our operations running as smoothly and efficiently as possible, we have officially upgraded our communication infrastructure from IONOS webmail to Microsoft 365.

What This Upgrade Means for Our Service
Moving to Microsoft 365 brings enterprise-grade tools that enhance our internal workflow and directly improve how we serve you:

Same Email Addresses, Better Service: All of our contact email addresses remain exactly the same! You can continue using the exact same email addresses you have always used to reach our team—there will be no disruption to your existing lines of communication.
Powered by Microsoft Outlook: By transitioning to Microsoft Outlook for our email and calendar operations, we benefit from enterprise-grade spam filtering, unified scheduling, and professional communication tools that ensure every message is handled promptly and securely.
Full Desktop Productivity Suite: Our team now has access to the full, downloadable desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, allowing us to generate reports, manage schedules, and coordinate alerts faster than ever.
Enhanced Reliability & Security: Microsoft 365’s cloud platform ensures seamless uptime and advanced protection, guaranteeing that critical alerts and communications are delivered without delay.
Streamlined Collaboration: Tools like SharePoint and OneDrive allow our team to access crucial information instantaneously, speeding up our response time for urgent announcements.
Expanded Meeting Options, Introducing Microsoft Teams: As part of this transition, we are excited to add Microsoft Teams to our daily suite. While Microsoft Teams and Zoom are entirely separate platforms, having access to both gives us maximum flexibility. Whether you prefer connecting over Zoom or via a Microsoft Teams invite, our team can now adapt seamlessly to your preferred setup. This dual-platform capability makes virtual meetings, consultations, and partner check-ins smoother and more convenient than ever.

We are thrilled about this technology shift and look forward to leveraging these tools to deliver an even higher level of service to all 55 counties across the state of West Virginia!

Behind the Alerts: Inside Local School Alerts’ High-Stakes Training Day

Written By: Taran Nicholson | September 14, 2026

While school leaders, community members, and families across West Virginia went about their Friday routines on September 11, the administrative branch of Local School Alerts paused standard office routines to dedicate the day to mandatory annual professional development and comprehensive cybersecurity training. Despite the rainy, overcast weather outside, our staff gathered in-office, ready to dive straight into a full day of collaboration and hands-on learning. Thanks to our resilient facilities and uninterrupted power, the weather didn't hold us back, allowing us to complete our entire training program in a single, focused day without needing any delays or rescheduling. Designed to sharpen our team's skills across all 55 West Virginia counties, the event brought our entire team together to strengthen both our digital defenses and rapid-response capabilities.

The morning kicked off promptly at 8:00 AM with dynamic PowerPoint presentations and deep-dive sessions into our updated internal software programs and learning systems. Staff trained on newly upgraded email software designed to streamline communication, along with enhanced computer dispatch platforms that speed up how we process incoming notifications. We also covered specialized reporting modules to refine how our field representatives take notes and capture critical data during local Board of Education meetings. Hands-on simulations rounded out the morning as team members practiced identifying advanced phishing threats, mitigating network vulnerabilities, and executing fail-safe data protection protocols to ensure our systems remain completely secure.

At 12:00 PM, the team gathered for a wonderful catered luncheon provided by the company, complete with a delicious spread of hot meals and fresh refreshments that gave everyone a well-deserved opportunity to relax, discuss the morning's takeaways, and recharge.

By 1:00 PM, afternoon sessions commenced with a focus on emergency dispatch agility. Staff participated in interactive scenario-based workshops that simulated complex internal crisis events, including severe weather surges and regional communication outages. Teams practiced rapid internal verification protocols and mock alert workflows to ensure split-second accuracy during high-pressure situations. Throughout every session, our adjacent 24/7 Live Emergency Alert and Dispatch Operations Center remained fully staffed, continuously monitoring district updates and broadcasting critical alerts across all 55 West Virginia counties without missing a beat.

We are so excited to return to full standard administrative operations today, Monday, September 14, 2026, at 8:00 AM EDT, equipped with enhanced tools, fortified systems, and sharper training to better serve all 55 West Virginia counties 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We sincerely thank everyone across the state for your continued support and understanding, and we apologize for any minor inconvenience this brief administrative pause may have caused. Your trust remains our highest priority.

Celebrating 7 Years of Keeping Our Schools Connected

Written By: Taran Nicholson | September 10, 2026

Today marks an incredible milestone for all of us here at Local School Alerts: we are officially celebrating our 7-year anniversary!

When we first opened our doors on September 10, 2019, our mission was clear—to build a reliable, swift, and trustworthy communication bridge between schools, families, and local officials. We recognized a critical need in our community for real-time safety notices, closure updates, and essential policy changes, and we set out to create a service that everyone in West Virginia could depend on without hesitation.

Reflecting on the past seven years, serving this community has been an absolute privilege. Together, we have navigated unexpected weather events, policy shifts, and everyday schedule updates, ensuring that parents have peace of mind and administrators have a seamless platform to share critical information. Every alert sent represents our ongoing commitment to the safety and well-being of our students and educators.

This achievement would not have been possible without the unbelievable network of people supporting us. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of the local schools, dedicated administrators, parents, and community members who have trusted us to keep them informed day in and day out. Your continued support, direct feedback, and active partnership have been the driving force behind our growth and success over these last seven years.

As we look toward the future, our passion for serving West Virginia schools remains stronger than ever. We are continuously working to improve our systems, broaden our reach, and enhance the way our community stays informed. Thank you for being a part of our journey, and here’s to many more years of working together to keep our schools safe, connected, and strong!

— Taran Nicholson, Executive Director

Fast, Reliable School Closing & Delay Updates Across West Virginia

When severe weather hits or schedules change unexpectedly, parents, staff, and communities need accurate information without delay. Local School Alerts delivers verified status updates directly from district leadership in real time—24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

[ VIEW TODAY'S SCHOOL CLOSINGS & UPDATES ]

What We Do

Statewide Coverage: Complete operational infrastructure covering all 55 West Virginia counties.
Direct Verification: Official reports routed straight from county superintendents and school administrators.
24/7 Live Operations: Round-the-clock monitoring center ensuring notifications reach you immediately.

Quick Links

Parents & Families: Check your local county status or subscribe to instant notifications.
School Administrators: Access the secure portal to broadcast a closing, delay, or early dismissal.
Community Members: Stay informed on regional schedule adjustments and weather updates.

A Message From Our Leadership

Welcome to Local School Alerts.

Our website was built on a simple commitment: ensuring West Virginia families and school leaders have instant, reliable access to critical schedule updates when it matters most. Keeping our communities informed and safe is a responsibility my team and I uphold every single day.

— Taran Nicholson, Executive Director

To learn more about our story, mission, vision, and core values, explore our About Us page using the navigation bar at the top of the page — where you can also find our Staff Directory, Careers, and FAQs.