Adding Emergency Contacts to SchoolMessenger

Adding Emergency Contacts to SchoolMessenger
Posted on 03/18/2022 at 10:45

In order to better serve families, we are improving our communications by adding two additional contacts per student via the SchoolMessenger platform (email, phone calls, and text messages). The additional contacts will receive the following broadcast types. Please note that families can opt-out of any of the broadcast types.

  • Non-school hours emergency (emergency notifications sent before or after school hours)
  • School hours emergency (emergency notifications sent during school hours)
  • Attendance (automated attendance calls)        
  • Classroom messaging (teacher notification to parents)
  • General (general messages including email)
  • General with text (a call/email along with a text message)
  • Phone only, no email (robo call only)
  • Text Only
  • Survey (may be used by school site principal/nurse/counselor)

Effective Monday, March 21, 2022, changes will be made in PowerSchool to the Demographics page. A new checkbox will be included for each emergency contact listed, OK to send school messages. If this checkbox is turned on for an emergency contact, a phone number and email address (if present) will be sent to SchoolMessenger to include in future communications from the district and/or school.

Please note that only one phone number will be shared for each emergency contact, for those that choose to receive school messages. The priority for selecting the phone number to share is based on the Home phone (if present), then the Cell phone (if present), and then the Work phone (if present). This priority is also used for sharing parent/guardian phone numbers with SchoolMessenger.

Please note that emergency contacts who choose to receive school messages will also receive an opt-in text message from SchoolMessenger, if the phone number provided is a mobile/cell phone which supports text/SMS messages. Additional information about text messages from SchoolMessenger can be found on the district website.

For more information about SchoolMessenger, please visit https://www.staff.sandiegounified.org/news_events/school_messenger or contact the Communications Department at [email protected].