Michigan parents irked by false automated school closing message

When a message appeared on a Michigan school system’s website instructing school children to stay home on Friday because of inclement weather, Grand Rapids administrators thought the site had been hacked.

But after further investigation, officials discovered that the alert was actually an older message inadvertently set to reoccur, according to the system’s Facebook page. Word of the closure spread quickly Friday morning after a media outlet saw the message and reported on it.

The Associated Press reported that the message was up for about 30 minutes before being spotted around 6 a.m.

School officials tried to use robo calls, email and social media to tell parents and students that the schools were in fact open.

“The district takes full responsibility and apologizes for the confusion,” the system posted on its Facebook page.