FORT WORTH -- Early Tuesday, students, parents and employees of the Fort Worth school district went to the district's website and Facebook page to learn if classes would start on time after wintry weather blew in overnight.
By next month, they will be able to check on their smartphones and tablets for information from the school district's own mobile application.Trustees voted 8-0 Tuesday night to approve an upgrade to the district's mass communications systems services agreement that includes a mobile app that users will be able to download for free. Administrators say the custom app will expand their ability to communicate with the community and allow the school district to notify families and employees of important information, particularly in an emergency, more quickly.Fort Worth schools already provide regular updates on district matters on its website and on social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. Officials also make phone calls and send emails and text messages using the ParentLink software system owned by Parlant Technology, based in Provo, Utah. The text messages may cost users money, though, depending on their cellphone plan. The new app will allow the district to send free texts through the app itself."There can't be any one way nowadays," said Barbara Griffith, district spokeswoman. "We just need every possible way of making sure our parents are up to date, and our research shows that all parents are adapting to smartphone technology."In the new app, users can update their contact information online themselves; the current method requires campus clerks to make such changes, which can be cumbersome, said Clint Bond, the school district's director of external and emergency communications."When we send out a phone message, about 20 percent of parents aren't getting the message -- that's about 12,000 people," Bond said.A prototype of the app is ready and will be submitted to online stores such as Apple's App Store or the Google Play Store for approval before users can download it. That process could be as soon as two weeks.Trustees agreed to pay $119,314 for the upgrade package agreement, which runs from January through June 30, 2014.Troy Patti, educational communities director for ParentLink, showed trustees a prototype of the app using his cellphone, projecting images on a screen in the board room.In other business, Tuesday:Omar Ramos was named principal at Trimble Technical High School, and Steven Moore was named principal at Bill J. Elliott Elementary School. Both men have been serving as acting principals after the former principals were both reassigned before students returned from winter break this month.The board also elected new officers. Judy Needham, who was first elected in 1996, was elected president. Carlos Vasquez is first vice president, Norm Robbins is second vice president, and Christene Moss, is secretary.Jessamy Brown, 817-390-7326Twitter: @jessamybrownHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
