Irving ISD to begin TeleParent system; students guaranteed to hate it

by PegNews wire

"TeleParent also will notify parents daily about student absences." DUN DUN DUN.

In a few weeks, IISD teachers and administrators will begin using the TeleParent notification system to more effectively communicate with parents.

TeleParent is an automated system that can send a message by phone or email to parents in minutes. TeleParent was selected by a district-wide committee after researching numerous systems available, and was approved by the Board of Trustees September 17.

Phone messages can be sent by teachers to their students’ parents, by school administrators to all or a select group of parents at their schools, and by the public information department director to all parents in the district. Teleparent also will notify parents daily about student absences.

Because no two students are alike, TeleParent’s student messaging system gives teachers the ability to quickly send messages to the entire class, or messages tailored to each student, in one of 23 languages. The multi-lingual option allows teachers to communicate with parents when they could not before.

TeleParent gives students a reason to perform their best in class. When students know phone calls can be easily sent to their homes, they are more likely to attend class, behave in class, complete their homework, study for tests, and improve their overall performance.

TeleParent will be used when situations develop during the school day. For example, if a fire near a school emits toxic fumes or if police are investigating criminal activity near a school and the principal decides to keep children inside, the system can be used to inform parents in minutes. The system also will be used to notify parents about bad weather closings, delays or early dismissals as well as school lockdowns or other emergencies.

The TeleParent notification system will be a key component to the district communications plan. The system will increase parent communication and involvement, and also will be used to send messages to IISD staff members.

Finally, IISD and TeleParent will work together to continually update the system.

Source: IISD