The Boy Scouts motto is “Be Prepared.” The old cliche is that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Everyone’s parents probably told them “better to be safe than sorry” at one time or another.

All these are sound advice and apply to Ohio University Southern’s implementation of an emergency response messaging system that helps quickly disseminate pre-recorded or customized communications in a variety of forms including text and phone messages.

The notifications go to students, faculty and staff who have signed up for the notifications. The school also has a strategy to use social media like Facebook and Twitter when needed.

In light of tragedies at Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech and others, having a communication plan is vital.

We would like to see it expanded to be mandatory for all OUS students, staff and faculty. Minor inconveniences that may come from an unwanted message about cancellations or delays are far outweighed by the fact that a comprehensive communication system is in place in case of emergencies.

This is something we would like to see OUS officials create clear guidelines on and then share their policies with every public school in Lawrence County. Now is a good time to implement or update systems like this in every institution of education.

Even in non-emergencies, having a clearly defined way to reach anyone who has a vested interest in the school is smart, proactive thinking.