On Monday, March 22, 2010 the PCBOE accepted the proposal by the Technology Department to purchase a new parent notification system - SchoolMessenger. The school system, which serves approximately 2,280 students, will use this new technology to reach families quickly in the event of an emergency and improve the overall quality and frequency of home-school communications.
Getting students to school, and keeping them there, impacts parents, school officials, and the school system's AYP requirements. Effective during the month of April, SchoolMessenger will begin automatically contacting families when their student does not show up for class, using home phones, cell phone, email, or text messaging. The school system's goal is to reduce truancy rates, and increase the number of students on campus each day.
Reports show that when parents are involved in their child's education, learning and test scores improve. SchoolMessenger provides a cost-effective way to keep families informed of school events and activities throughout the year. It also provides an easy way to alert families to statewide testing plans, since those scores contribute greatly to the AYP equation. Personalized calls or emails can remind parents to ‘save the date' for testing, encourage them to prepare students with a hearty breakfast, and then stress the importance of having their child present on testing day. Calls can also be made to notify parents of low or negative lunch account balances.
Pike County Public Schools notification system will also play a key role in the system's ability to respond to emergency situations. Any emergency that impacts students on a local campus demands a swift and immediate response by officials.
As students bring Emergency Contact forms home this Fall, parents are encouraged to review them carefully to be sure all home numbers, cell numbers, email addresses, and text messaging contact information is up to date and accurate. Two emergency contacts from each family are entered into the notification database, which is automatically, regularly updated throughout the year so that it is always emergency-ready. If at any time contact information changes, parents are advised to notify the school immediately so that records can be updated. In times of emergency, SchoolMessenger provides massive calling capabilities that enable system or school officials to send thousands of messages in a matter of minutes. Doing so not only provides parents with accurate, real-time information as the situation unfolds, but can also help quell rumors by establishing a channel of communication that parents can rely on for updates.
