Sign up now for the Missouri Alert Network - A Collaborative Initiative of MSBA and the Missouri Department of Public Safety

School districts and higher education institutions throughout Missouri can sign up now for the Missouri Alert Network - an emergency notification network. This communication provides directions for school districts and higher education institutions to take part in the network.

The purpose of the Missouri Alert Network is to enhance school safety by ensuring that in every public and nonpublic school district in Missouri and higher education institution, there is at least one person who can receive a message from state officials within a few minutes if an extraordinary situation occurs impacting security and safety. Such a network does not now exist. The message would be delivered simultaneously to school or higher education officials statewide or regionally by telephone (landline or cellular), text, and/or email. The decision to activate the network in an emergency would be made by officials of the Missouri Department of Public Safety, not MSBA. There is no cost to a school district for one contact to receive messages from the network; there is no cost to most higher education institutions for one contact to receive messages from the network.

MSBA is now collecting information from public and nonpublic school districts and higher education institutions to build the database necessary for the Missouri Alert Network. This is an on-going process (in order to keep the network data base current and up-to-date). The database is provided to the Missouri Department of Public Safety by MSBA. For a school district or higher education institution to be a part of the Missouri Alert Network, it is necessary that the appropriate form be completed and returned to MSBA. The information provided on the form is confidential. You can access the form by clicking here. You can access additional information about the Missouri Alert Network by clicking here.

MSBA has been asked if a school district or higher education institution can have more than one contact for the Missouri Alert Network. The answer to this question is "yes." The decision to participate, or not, in the network and the person or persons to receive messages from the network is a local school district- or higher education institution-specific decision. A Contact Information Form for the Missouri Alert Network should be completed for each person deemed to receive messages from the network. Again, while there is no cost to a district or most higher education institutions to have one person receive messages from the network, MSBA will invoice a school district or higher education institution $100 per year for each additional person to receive network messages.

To monitor and maintain the integrity of the Missouri Alert Network, monthly network tests are conducted. Network tests take place the second Wednesday of each month at 10:00 a.m.