EATON RAPIDS, Mich. — An accidental alert leaves some students shaken up after they thought their school was under attack by an active shooter.
The school received a backlash from some parents who say they should have been notified about the mistake.
Staff members at Eaton Rapids Middle School received an active shooter alert and immediately sprung into action and locked down classrooms, but school officials say the alert was only a test.
Rave Panic is an emergency alert app that sends out 911 messages. On Wednesday, school administrators were testing the technology with public safety officials when a message was sent alerting staff of an emergency that was followed-up with a test notification.
Three messages were sent out in total in the same minute, and staff members initiated emergency plans before realizing the false alarm.
School officials say parents were not contacted because students were not in danger.
Eaton Rapids Police encourage parents to get familiar with the Rave Panic Emergency Alert App, so their first exposure won't be during an emergency.
