Bomb threats create an unlikely side effect

Whoever thought e-mail would become a steady form of communication in our schools? Maybe it hasn’t penetrated every, or even most school districts in our country yet, but it’s clear that parents and teachers in the Everett School District are making use of it.

Some parents were stunned to learn their e-mails had been rejected by the district’s server because some e-mail providers had to be banned from the system. District officials are investigating e-mail threats that have been so disruptive to students and teachers they’ve had to ban e-mails from some providers. Those services, including Hotmail, Yahoo! and Juno, offer customers anonymous and often untraceable online communication. The cutoff is a blow to parents who use those popular e-mail services to communicate throughout the week with their child’s teachers.

But it’s not the end of the world and parents should apply extra patience as the district works to investigate the threats and restore full service.

At first glance, the problem doesn’t seem that difficult to solve. One parent’s comment, that the district’s decision was like deciding not to take phone calls after receiving an untraceable bomb threat by phone, made sense. But, as school district spokeswoman Gay Campbell pointed out, it’s not that simple. Phone threats and even written threats are much easier to trace than e-mails, which can be routed throughout the world in an effort to throw off investigators. E-mail from untraceable servers add another difficult component to the mix.

The district has an information technology department that is busy researching the matter and working with local police agencies to uncover the source of the threats. It’s unfortunate the technology department has to spend its time resolving this matter. But staff deserves credit for trying to find a way to let good e-mail make it through the district’s old server and to the teachers.

Until that happens, parents who depend on e-mail will have to fall back on the ancient communication forms of the telephone and voice mail. Every classroom has a telephone, Campbell said. If parents leave a message, the teacher can still e-mail them back. Besides, they should always save private conversations about students for in-person meetings or the telephone. E-mails can easily go astray.

While parents are practicing patience, the district must continue to find a way to restore and update its system. That will likely mean new hardware and software. That’s not cheap. An upcoming levy may help, if it passes.

E-mail is not a luxury anymore. And it’s more than just a convenience. It’s a viable form of communication that has flaws as well as incredible benefits. With a little updating and patience, both parents and schools will figure out a way to make safe and responsible use of it.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Saturday, Feb. 8

A sketechy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

bar graph, pie chart and diagrams isolated on white, 3d illustration
Editorial: Don’t let state’s budget numbers intimidate you

With budget discussions starting soon, a new website explains the basics of state’s budget crisis.

Comment: Democracy depends on support of local journalism

A state bill provides funding to support local news outlets through a modest tax on tech businesses.

Comment: Love is intoxicating; romance doesn’t have to be

Navigating sobriety while dating, with Valentine’s Day coming up, is possible and fulfilling.

Comment: State attempt at single-payer health care bound to fail

Other states have tried, but balked when confronted with the immense cost to state taxpayers.

Forum: Requiem for a lost heavyweight: Sports Illustrated

SI, with Time and NatGeo, were a holy trinity for me and my dad. Now, it’s a world of AI clickbait.

Forum: Political leaders should leave trash talk to ballplayers

Verbal intimidation is one thing on the basketball court; it shouldn’t have a place in our politics.

The Buzz: Why, no, we have complete trust in Elon Musk

But whatever he and Trump are doing to the country, could they please wish it into the cornfield?

Curtains act as doors for a handful of classrooms at Glenwood Elementary on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Schools’ building needs point to election reform

Construction funding requests in Arlington and Lake Stevens show need for a change to bond elections.

FILE- In this Nov. 14, 2017, file photo Jaìme Ceja operates a forklift while loading boxes of Red Delicious apples on to a trailer during his shift in an orchard in Tieton, Wash. Cherry and apple growers in Washington state are worried their exports to China will be hurt by a trade war that escalated on Monday when that country raised import duties on a $3 billion list of products. (Shawn Gust/Yakima Herald-Republic via AP, File)
Editorial: Trade war would harm state’s consumers, jobs

Trump’s threat of tariffs to win non-trade concessions complicates talks, says a state trade advocate.

A press operator grabs a Herald newspaper to check over as the papers roll off the press in March 2022 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald file photo)
Editorial: Push back news desert with journalism support

A bill in the state Senate would tax big tech to support a hiring fund for local news outlets.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Friday, Feb. 7

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.