Board lauds new system for contacting parents
ParentLink will be used for notifications such as early dismissals
BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer

SAYREVILLE — Administrators and school volunteers can breath a sigh of relief now that a new system is going to be implemented to notify parents of early dismissals.

The Board of Education voted unanimously to enter a three-year agreement with ParentLink for its standard package, allowing the district to have an automated callout messaging system that will deliver important notifications to parents. The annual cost to the district will be $13,920.

Board President Michael Macagnone described the system as a low-cost initiative that is well worth the price in light of what it allows the district to do.

"It's long overdue," Macagnone said. "This just brings the district in line with many other districts."

Members of various PTO groups in Sayreville have commented on how long it takes to make the calls necessary during an early dismissal. On June 9, volunteers were caught off-guard when a heat wave made it necessary to have a district-wide early dismissal.

Assistant Superintendent of Schools Carla Sutherland said that reaching out to parents is a time-consuming endeavor that requires significant manpower and many hours to accomplish.

"At the elementary level, because of the need for supervision, you can't expect kids to go home to an empty home," Sutherland said. "We always make sure to touch base with parents and ensure that someone meets the child at a bus stop or will be home."

Sutherland said other school districts have had success with ParentLink, which will be operational by the start of the coming school year. She noted that district officials can cancel the service at any time during the three-year period of the contract.

"We had been looking for plans we could afford and serve our purposes," Sutherland said. "This is the one that offers us the most, for the least cost per pupil. There are many districts that have it in place."

The price is calculated at $2.40 per student. The setup fee is $3,500, and the annual fee is $13,920.

"We locked in that fee for three years," Sutherland said. "It won't go up."

The company behind ParentLink is Parlant Technology Inc., of Provo, Utah. The school district is uploading data including student names, emergency contact information and phone numbers. Parents, as well as staff, can then be informed of early dismissals or any other announcements.

Karen Waranowicz, student information systems manager for the school district, said administrators and PTO members can call the system and leave a message anytime. They can then go on the ParentLink Web site and decide when they want to send the message out.

Sutherland said the system will save administrators and PTO members a significant amount of time when parents need to be notified about announcements such as parent-teacher conferences or when an emergency arises. Superintendent of Schools Frank Alfano could send out a district-wide announcement, and school principals would also be able to issue their own announcements to the parents of students in their respective schools.

"This is a nice feature for reminding parents," Sutherland said. "It allows us to notify parents of important events."

In addition, the technology also makes it easier for administrators to conduct surveys. Parents can respond to the surveys over the phone and answer multiplechoice questions using the phone's keypad.

"We are always looking to find out what parents think," Sutherland said. "With ParentLink, we can do surveys and they can respond over the telephone, so we can find out parents' attitudes and feelings.… We wouldn't have to count or read surveys. It's a time saver for the PTO and the administration."

Oftentimes in the past when a student is absent, the administration would call the child's home and an answering machine would pick up, Sutherland said. The ParentLink system dials all the contact numbers, including cell and work phone numbers, all at once, ensuring that the district makes contact with the parent.

"That saves a lot of time," Sutherland said, "not to mention that we're now sure we made every effort to notify the parent with the information we are trying to provide.

"The biggest thing is, we're sure we reach the parent," she added.

On security, Sutherland said the school board attorney reviewed the matter, and the board is comfortable with the fact that all the information provided to the system is encrypted.

"Any of the student's personal information, or phone number or name, are all encrypted," Sutherland said. "The attorneys have reviewed the contract to make sure that we are properly following the Family [Educational] Right to Privacy Act."