Schools "tweeting"

The Carrollton-Farmers Branch, Irving and Coppell school districts (Dallas, TX area) set up Twitter accounts in recent months, and each has several hundred people following its posts, or tweets. And on the first day of classes Monday, Plano ISD launched a Facebook page and quickly amassed hundreds of fans. "It's great to go to where people are already communicating," said Lesley Range-Stanton, the director of communications for Plano ISD. "Instead of making them come to our Web site for information, we are going to where they are. "We're opening ourselves up to more people." She said the district is targeting parents as its audience. Students are still blocked from using Facebook on district computers during the school day.