BULLHEAD CITY – Parents and guardians in the Bullhead City School District will again have the option to receive important communication via text messages, not just email and phone alerts.
BCSD offered text messaging with a previous vendor. Changes in federal law now require participants to opt-in rather than opt-out.
Authorized parents and guardians currently in BCSD’s database will receive a text message from SchoolMessenger, the messaging and alert company contracted by BCSD. Those who opt-in will have secure texts added to their messaging profiles. Those who opt-out will continue to receive only phone alerts and/or emails from their school(s) and the district. SchoolMessenger is able to add more than one authorized phone number to the text messaging.
The opt-in text message will be sent out within the next week.
Messaging can range from relatively routine reminders to updates about bus route delays or cancellations. The system is also used in the event of emergencies.
Once opted in, parents’ accounts will be updated in less than one week. Those new to the school district will receive opt-in messaging upon enrollment.
Whether someone opts in or out, BCSD officials remind parents to make sure that their emergency contact information is up to date, including phone numbers and email addresses.
“Sometimes a cellphone number is changed or a landline number is dropped, and schools aren’t notified,” noted Jennifer Lott, BCSD’s director of educational services. “We then have no way to contact a parent or guardian, especially if there’s an emergency.”
The software for the new texting system continues to be one-way (receive-only). Other methods to send messages to schools and the district office remain in place.
