LISD tests automated system
Posted On: Sunday, Nov. 15 2009 05:49 AM
By Jackie Stone
Killeen Daily HeraldLAMPASAS – Cutting class and getting away with it could soon become more difficult for students in Lampasas.
This week, the Lampasas Independent School District will test its new automated notification system. The system uses automated phone calls, e-mails and text messages to inform parents of emergencies, outreach events and student absences.
As long as the test is successful, the district plans to have the automated system fully functional by Nov. 23.
Superintendent Randy Hoyer said the system will free the district up from manually calling parents for absences and in emergencies. He also noted that if the automated system calls and gets no response from the parent, it will retry several times before it records a "non-response."
Some parents may have received a cryptic text message last week that mentioned the system, but Hoyer said that was an unintentional test from the company that created the system.
Hoyer said the automated messages would have been helpful several weeks ago when LISD delayed the first school bells for two hours because of flooding.
They would also have helped during the shooting at Fort Hood last week.
"Just to let the parents know what our plans were with the students, that if there would be nobody available at home we were going to bring the kids back," he said.
The Killeen and Copperas Cove Independent School Districts both have similar systems that use automated phone messages to get information to parents.
KISD successfully used its system last week to get information to parents during the Fort Hood shooting, said Leslie Gilmore, district spokeswoman.
Many parents in LISD will probably learn the system is going into effect when they receive the first automated message this week, Hoyer said.
That will likely happen Wednesday or Thursday and definitely after working hours.
"During the day what happens so many times is parents will not answer their phone, or they look at caller ID and see that the school has called, and they immediately assume the worst," he said.
The LISD system will use text messages and e-mails in addition to the phone messages.
Hoyer said he still has to go through training early this week, but he believes parents will have the option to choose or opt out of the text messages and e-mails.
Contact Jackie Stone at
jstone@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7474.