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Parent alert system planned for school district

JANESVILLE — The Janesville School District could start sending automated phone and e-mail messages to masses of parents before the end of the school year.

Much depends on how quickly the AlertNow system can be put in place this month, said Mat Haeger, manager of health services for the school district.

The district likely will send trial messages before the end of the year, with full service beginning in September, Haeger said.

"This service provides the district with the ability to deliver thousands of messages per minute on such topics as school safety, important school events, lunch account balances, student absences and deadlines through telephone calls and e-mails," according to a news release.

Haeger said parent-contact information needs to be uploaded from district computers to AlertNow, and local staff must be trained before the service can start.

The cost is $2.40 per student, or $24,000 a year for 10,000 students. The price tag will be adjusted if the district's September enrollment count is more or less than 10,000, Haeger said.

AlertNow was chosen by a committee of district employees, which considered proposals from six companies, according to the news release.

The system initially will use parent information the district has in its database, but Haeger is working on ways that would allow parents to update their information if they change phone numbers or e-mail addresses.

The service requires no new computer hardware or software or additional phone lines, according to the district.

Administrators will be able to input messages by computer, text or telephone.

AlertNow will access parent telephone numbers, emergency telephone numbers, cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses from the district's student database.

"It will be very important for families to make sure the district has the most current telephone and/or cell phone number," according to the news release.

AlertNow can translate text messages into 11 different languages.

The system will generate a report indicating how many messages were received, how many went to voicemail and how many messages were undeliverable.

The system has been up 99.999 percent of the time since AlertNow began in 2003, said Jason Bedford, company vice president.

The system is not vulnerable to lightning strikes or power outages because it uses redundant systems and facilities, Bedford said.

AlertNow provides its services to over 15,000 school systems in 49 states, according to the news release.

Update your information

Janesville School District parents who need to update their contact information should call their child's school office.