Qschools app to keep school parents informed this storm season

With the Queensland storm season upon us, parents of school children are being encouraged to download the Qschools app as part of their preparations for severe weather.

Education, Training and Employment Minister John-Paul Langbroek said the app, launched earlier this year, was a handy tool to keep parents informed about the impact of severe weather on schools.

“The Qschools app provides real-time notifications regarding school closures and re-openings direct to a phone or tablet, helping parents to stay up-to-date with critical information about schools affected by significant weather events,” Mr Langbroek said.

“It’s free and simple to use, and designed to give parents direct access to important information and events at their school.

“I also encourage Queensland parents to follow The Department of Education, Training and Employment’s Facebook page and Twitter feed, which will provide the most up-to-date information about school closures.”

Mr Langbroek said schools, parents and wider communities working together was the best way to ensure a safe storm season.

“We all know that the impacts of the storm season can be serious in Queensland.  There were more than 300 temporary school closures in January and February earlier this year, with three schools sustaining significant damage from flood waters,” Mr Langbroek said.

“Planning ahead can make all the difference in an emergency. Safety procedures adopted by schools include keeping up-to-date details to contact parents during a crisis and practicing drills to exit school buildings safely.

“It’s important that parents and students work with schools to prepare for worst-case scenarios and also take some safety precautions at home as well.

“Simple things such as purchasing a first aid kit, keeping a list of emergency numbers in wallets, cleaning the yard of loose debris, and discussing emergency plans with everyone in the family can all help in an emergency.”

Mr Langbroek said people could find information on disaster preparedness at the Department of Communities’ Get Ready Queensland website.

“Get Ready Queensland is a program to help build community resilience towards extreme weather and prepare people to handle whatever problems arise,” he said.

“The program is part of the Newman Government’s four-year strategy to educate the public on dealing with natural disasters and to provide $2 million to local governments for local safety and recovery initiatives.

“As part of the program there are free disaster preparedness seminars being held throughout Queensland during October and November, where members of the public can meet with councils, emergency services personnel and others to discuss local risks and preparing for the summer.”

Find out more about disaster preparedness at www.disaster.qld.gov.au/getready.

Follow the Department of Education, Training and Employment on their Facebook page or Twitter feed.

Download the QSchools app from the iTunes store for Apple devices, or the Google Play store for Android-compatible devices.

[ENDS] 17 October 2013

Media contact: Minister’s office – 3237 1000