April 2004 — Applications
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Automated Notification System Improves Calif. School District's Crisis Management, Attendance
Three years ago, Santana High School and Granite Hills High School, both California-based schools in the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD), made national news. Each school experienced shooting incidents within 15 days of each other in which two students were killed. It's one of the worst crises a school can face, and the district had to deal with two separate tragedies in two weeks. Thus, fast and accurate communication with parents and the community was crucial to managing a crisis of this magnitude.
To help the district through it, GUHSD administrator Warren Williams turned to US Netcom's PhoneMaster, an automated notification technology system that the district acquired last year to provide quick, efficient contact by phone and e-mail with the district's 24,000 parents. Williams, assistant superintendent of information and technology services, says: "I'm not sure how we would have managed without it. We were able to call all parents that evening and give them the details of what had happened. The message was recorded by the principal, which gave parents a sense of reassurance that the situation was being handled. It also provided a fast way to ensure accurate information was getting to them."
PhoneMaster technology gives schools the power of two-way communication with parents. It allows schools to call or e-mail parents with important messages and reminders, as well as enables parents to call in and access information about the school and their child at any time — all with very little staff time required to perform the task.
Installed on GUHSD's main server, the telephony system, which is equipped with 48 phone lines, is accessible through the district's Web browser and maintained by its technology staff. With such a large system, GUHSD could reach 20,000 homes within a matter of a few hours — a powerful tool in emergency situations.
In the aftermath of the school shootings, the district used the technology to keep parents updated about such things as counseling and community services available, assemblies, and plans for the school's reopening. "We had scores of parents calling and thanking us for this direct communication," says Williams. "The messages helped the entire community."
School-to-Home Communication
School-to-home communication is just as important when it comes to the daily events of school life. Schools in the district use the technology every day to notify parents of student absences, and the consistent calling has paid off. In fact, the district has one of the best attendance records in California — a whopping 95% of students are attending a Grossmont school on a daily basis, up from 90% two years ago.
Williams believes the automated daily absence notification plays a big part in the district's increased attendance. "We did revamp our attendance policies and took a tougher stance with students, as well as gave schools incentives for improved attendance," says Williams. "I think those policies, accompanied with the daily calls, made the difference."
The school district's telephony technology uses a recorded message that is automatically sent to the homes of every absent student. It can also simultaneously send a text message to parent e-mail addresses — a sure way to prevent students from intercepting the phone messages at home. In addition, the district can designate a start and stop time for the calling period, as well as determine the number of call attempts to make.
