10 Ways to use Mass Notification System for Schools

As you know, communication is key for schools and districts, especially when needing to notify everyone quickly. Effectively being able to push out emergency alerts to your students, teachers, and parents is a priority for administrators. The times when you need to get the word out quickly to your community, you shouldn't have to worry about how to deliver those messages. That's why mass emergency notification systems for schools and districts are essential.

The Mass Notification System by SchoolInfo delivers instant targeted text, voice dial, and email alerts for time-sensitive information and emergency alert notifications. All at once, administrators can send consistent messages through email, voice messages, SMS text, social media platforms, push notifications to mobile devices, and news items on your school website and parent communication app. Not everyone receives their information the same way, but with SchoolInfo you can reach everyone by sending the same message to all communication channels with one click. A school alert system improves the safety and security of your organization by providing push notifications and real-time instruction when needed. Now that you know what a mass notification system is and why you need one, when can you use it?

Here are 10 ways administrators can use a mass notification system:

1. Announcing a district-wide 2-hour delay due to a snowstorm
2. Afterschool activities are canceled due to a severe weather event
3. Inform a student or parent about a low lunch balance
4. Sports team field change
5. Automated absence notification sent to families
6. Alert the senior class about an upcoming registration deadline
7. Notify the PTA that the meeting time has changed
8. Distribute the parent-teacher conference schedule
9. Early dismissal reminder
10. Alert an emergency lockdown and what steps need to be taken to stay safe

A mass notification system can be beneficial if a crisis situation were to arise in your school or district. The foundation of a good safety plan is clear communication. Make sure you have communication tools in place ahead of time, so you are prepared and can focus on executing your emergency response plan for a potential unexpected event.

As you can see from the list above, school notification systems aren't only used in emergency situations. They can help your community stay informed and organized about time-sensitive things like upcoming deadlines, location changes, and low lunch balances. Although there are many different ways it can be used, it's important to remember best practices when utilizing your mass notification system. Overuse can remove the sense of urgency related to the messages leaving those messages that you need everyone to see unread.

When you need to get the word out quickly to your parents, students, and teachers, uptime is key. The mass notification system by SchoolInfo allows school or district administrators to deliver timely alerts to all major channels whenever alerts are needed. This means you always have access to the mass notification management system without downtime. We know that in order to have the most efficient and effective messaging, reliability and simplicity are necessary features of a school notification system. With SchoolInfo, it is easy to create, send, or schedule a notification on a variety of platforms.

Investing in an emergency notification system saves administrators time while keeping everyone safe and informed. With SchoolInfo, messages will be automatically translated into the recipient's set language. That way no matter what language members of your community speak, they will always have access to your most important communications. 

When you need to push out a time-sensitive message, you shouldn't worry about what your message says. Messages can be saved within the dashboard so that you don't have to spend time drafting what you will say during an urgent situation. We recommend creating as many common messages ahead of time or a template that you can quickly fill in to save you time when you need it most. You can also record voice messages of those common alerts like school closings and weather delays in advance to get your message out as soon as possible. 

Pro-tip: For a more personalized feel, pre-record the same common messages in other languages that families in your community speak. 

What are some of the benefits of SchoolInfo's Mass Notification System? 

• Easy Student Information System (SIS) integration helps you add unlimited contacts (phone, email) for students, faculty, and staff
• Quickly create groups and subgroups. Groups can be created for each sports team, grade level, club, and even smaller groups within those
• User-friendly portal allows you to easily customize and create your message. Select text message, email, voicemail (or all three). Type your message, finalize, and send.
• Common messages like weather delays can be recorded ahead of time and saved in the dashboard to increase efficiency
• Consist, timely messages across all platforms keep your community informed and minimize calls into the front office saving your staff time
• Messages are automatically translated into the user’s set language

A mass notification system is a great way to enhance safety and communication within your campus. Meet with a member of our team today to learn more about all the ways your school or district can utilize the Mass Notification System by SchoolInfo.