Once again this school year, parents can expect to get a phone call at home early in the morning or during the day at work if schools have to be closed due to inclement weather.  The school district’s phone notification system will be used to not only notify parents about school closings, but schools will be using the phone system to communicate school information and if needed, emergency information as well.
    
     “The response to the phone system has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Director of Schools Dr. Rebecca S. Sharber. “We are able to contact thousands of parents in a matter of minutes, and principals say it is a communications tool they cannot live without now.”
    
     Schools also use the system to notify parents daily if their child is absent from school. Attendance secretaries at each school site select the absent students’ names on a computer screen and a few moments later calls will be delivered to parents. “At Grassland, we call the home of each student who is absent during the day,” said Grassland Middle School Principal Susan Curtis. “This call helps us keep our attendance records more accurate and reminds parents that they need to send a note excusing the absence when their child returns to school.”
    
     Principals may use the phone system to notify parents of upcoming events or  the system will also be used to communicate with parents in case of an emergency. After the first several weeks of school, the transportation department will use the system to notify parents if buses will be running more than 20 minutes late in the afternoon.
    
     The phone system uses the student information that is put into the school’s student information database. Sharber encourages parents to keep their phone numbers current with the school. 

     “Since the phone system will use the student information from our district data base, we want to encourage parents to make sure schools have the correct student data on file and make sure parents update student data as soon as it changes,” said Sharber. “Working together, we can keep our children safe and our parents informed.”