GENTRY — A new way to keep parents notified of emergencies and other important information is being put in place in Gentry’s public schools.
The system, called “Pioneer Alert,” is being funded by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funds, according to the newly appointed federal programs coordinator, Judy Winslett.
The system will allow parents to receive notifications from the school through voice, text or email and will keep parents informed of such things as their child’s non-attendance, general announcements and special events at the schools, and in the event of an emergency.
“We hope never to have to use it for an emergency but if we did, the option is there to notify all of our parents within minutes,” said Joni Wilson, the school district’s technology coordinator.
The system is expected to be up and runnning by the start of the school year and will be used later this month to notify parents of the open houses at each campus.
There are many other features the program includes, such as polling and surveying parents, Wilson said.
The biggest challenge for the school is having up-to-date contact information in the computer, Wilson said. Each campus will be sending home paperwork with students to update contact information.
It is very important for parents to take the time to fill out this contact information and return it to their schools, Wilson said. Without the correct contact information, parents will not receive the notifications. Parents can also opt out of receiving text messages or any messages at all, she said.
“The district plans to utilize the program in many ways,” Wilson said. “For example, if a bus is running late, the transportation department would have the ability to notify all the parents of students on the bus that their child would be home late that day.”
For more information about Pioneer Alert, please watch for paperwork sent home with students and distributed at the open house at each campus, visit the school district’s Web page at www.gentrypioneers.com, or contact the technology department at 736-5198.