RCSS parents go on alert with phone snags

ASHEBORO — Officials with the Randolph County School System are working with a new provider to work out snags that have popped up regarding the district’s alert system.

Amber Ward, the public information officer for RCSS, said a couple of phone carriers have blocked the number used for the alerts so that messages haven’t reached all their intended audiences.

The situation became heightened last week when there were weather-related delays and closures.

Ward said RCSS switched during the summer to a different website provider and, as part of that, it has meant a different process for the phone alert system.

“We are getting the kinks worked out with all of that,” she said. “I’ve been working on this for weeks. We’re working on it nonstop.”

The number used for the phone alert system has been blocked by carriers AT&T and Cricket Wireless. Ward said the district is uncertain of the percentage of messages that have been impacted.

Apptegy, which lists school districts as primary clients, is the website provider for RCSS. That company is based in Arkansas.

That’s where more confusion arose for some parents in RCSS. In attempts to remedy the problems, Apptegy tested a different number when sending out recent messages – but those calls with the trial number showed up as coming from Arkansas, so that caught parents off guard, Ward said.

On the plus side, the messages got through to more intended recipients.

“It was way better and more people got it,” she said. “Now they’re trying to take what they learned and resolve the issues.”

Ward also said text messages have tended to have a better rate of getting through from the district than phone messages.

The phone alert system is just one avenue RCSS uses to spread information, Ward said. Particularly during the phone-related glitches, she said an additional emphasis has been placed on pushing out notices on social media. She said district-wide information is posted on each school’s website and that news media also disseminates some of the content.

“We put it out everywhere,” she said.

Messages from the district level, often featuring superintendent Stephen Gainey, generally involve weather-related changes, safety topics and holiday or non-instructional day reminders.

Phone messages stemming from each individual school, which in many cases are sent weekly, haven’t been affected by the district’s change to Apptegy, Ward said.