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Bismarck Public Schools is currently contracting for rapid communication capability from AlertNow. With the exception of a test call, this system will only be used in the case of emergencies during the 2009-2010 school year.
In the event of an emergency the Superintendent or Community Relations Director will transmit a recorded message. This message will be sent to parent contact numbers associated with a student. The system is capable of sending thousands of messages a minute, helping to insure that all families are informed of critical events.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. I recently provided new and/or additional phone numbers to the school, but all of those numbers were not called. What's up?
The school secretary may not have gotten the new data entered yet. Also, the form that was mailed home asked for up to 7 parent contact numbers, and some people wrote in other emergency contacts. Those emergency contacts were added into PowerSchool, but the AlertNow notification program only pulls PARENT contact numbers for these calls.
2. Why weren't my "emergency contacts" called?
At this time, the form we sent home only asked for PARENT work and home numbers. Up to 7 numbers were called. See #1.
3. I didn't hear the whole message. Is there a way I can reaccess it? Yes! You can go to the AlertNow website at http://www.alertnowmessage.com and type in any phone number that originally received the call. You will then be able to listen again via a webbased recording.
4. How do I opt out of this service if I don't want to be notified?
We have an obligation to notify parents during emergencies. Since this system will only be used for emergencies during the 2009-2010 school year, we prefer you do not opt out at this time. Hopefully we won't have to use this system in 2009-2010!
5. My employer doesn't want me to list my work number. What do I do?
Even if multiple parents work for one employer, that employer will only get ONE phone call. Please let your employer know that, so he/she can notify you of an emergency.
6. How do I change or add a phone number to be called during emergencies?
Please contact your school secretary.
7. I am a BPS employee. AlertNow only called my home and cell number. Why didn't it call my work number?
During an emergency, we do not want to tie up school phone lines calling each employee. The office will receive ONE call; the secretary should alert staff.
8. My child takes high school career and technical classes off campus, not in Bismarck. Why do we need to be called?
We decided to keep all students in the emergency phone notification system at this time. Some of those classes are taught in Bismarck, via interactive television (ITV), so they would be cancelled.
9. I usually listen to the radio for this type of emergency information. Will news media still be notified?
Absolutely! This is just another way to notify parents. We have found that many of today's parents don't listen to traditional news sources, and we want to make sure they get the message quickly.
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