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City Schools of Decatur
Dr. Thomas Van Soelen
Associate Superintendent
City Schools of Decatur
Decatur, GA
2,911 students

Decatur Uses Campus Messenger with Voice for Emergency Notification and More
City Schools of Decatur (CSD), just outside Atlanta, Georgia, was already a Campus Customer and needed a voice messaging service to provide emergency notification. CSD chose Campus Messenger with Voice. Shortly after installation, severe flooding required CSD to send emergency messages to families and staff. Within minutes, everyone was notified and contingency plans were made. Campus Messenger with Voice handled the crises effortlessly.

Eliminating the “Calling Tree”
As a Campus Customer since 2006, CSD was looking for a faster and more comprehensive notification process. They did not start using Campus Messenger (part of the core product) until recently to distribute email messages, but they also needed a better way to distribute emergency notifications.

CSD became a pilot district for Campus Messenger with Voice, powered by ShoutPoint, in spring 2009. Previously, it relied on a “calling tree” to distribute emergency information. Staff members called selected parents who, in turn, called a few additional parents in a spreading pattern of communication until information about school closings, emergencies and school activities was broadcasted through the district. It was an antiquated and ineffective way to communicate.

Since adopting Campus Messenger with Voice, CSD is able to make a large volume of calls simultaneously for emergencies. For non-emergency messages, they can offer a choice of communication options to parents and staff: email, voice, or both.

Emergency Calls Get Priority Treatment
There are occasions when staff, parents and students have to be reached immediately. Emergencies ranging from dangerous weather conditions to crises such as the unthinkable, but real, Columbine disaster all call for immediate parental notification.

When there is no time to lose, Campus Messenger with Voice uses dedicated ports to prioritize emergency traffic. Parent and guardian telephone numbers are extracted from Infinite Campus using existing filters and calls go out en masse. Parents are notified immediately and can make informed decisions about their children.

CSD recently had a need for urgent communications. “The floods in Georgia during September 2009 were fierce and we were forced to close school quickly,” says Dr. Thomas Van Soelen, CSD Associate Superintendent. “We were confident Campus Messenger with Voice would be able to send this message out to all our families in a matter of moments. In fact, after the decision was made to close school, our families received the automated call before the television and radio stations were able to broadcast the news.”

ShoutPoint telephony service incorporates interconnected voice-over Internet protocol (VOIP), telecommunications service with high-volume call routing through its telephony network, located across the United States. This service provides dedicated ports that can expand as needed and prioritize emergency traffic. Regardless of the district size, Campus Messenger with Voice can deliver a 30 second message in less than 20 minutes.

Before purchasing Campus Messenger with Voice, calls were a time consuming part of CSD staff’s daily activity, with the potential for missed or late calls. Having options for voice or email communication expanded opportunities to reach everyone. Now CSD communication is fast, efficient and reliable.

Efficiency Pays Off for CSD
Campus Messenger with Voice is fully integrated with CSD data in real time, so there is assurance that phone records are accurate when an emergency arises.

“During the first month of school, administrative assistants and the HR office teamed up to make sure that all staff phone numbers were accurate in Infinite Campus. Staff updates required one person and little time,” says Van Soelen. “It is such a pleasure to not engage in the age-old practice of a phone tree late at night.”

Even during times of tight budgets, the benefits of Campus Messenger with Voice are worth the investment. The “calling tree” is gone and staff can spend more time directly helping students. Further savings on telephony service may be available through federal E-rate funding.

The safety of staff and students during times of emergency cannot be given a price tag. As was demonstrated during the September 2009 flooding, the ability to get high priority information to parents and staff is invaluable, potentially saving students and staff from injury.

“The peace of mind that comes from knowing that concurrent phone calls are being made -literally hundreds of them in a minute – is calming in an emergency situation,” says Van Soelen.

Worth the Price
As a pilot district during a real emergency situation, CSD was in a unique position to evaluate Campus Messenger with Voice. Since investing in high-bandwidth telephony technology, the district has realized savings in materials and labor, as well as being assured that the most up-to-date emergency communication is at their fingertips. One person can send out thousands of messages in minutes.

“Our community is never shy about feedback. After our last round of emergency calls, no doubt remained about the efficiency of the system,” says Van Soelen. “To other districts considering Campus Messenger with Voice, I say ‘Don’t hesitate. It is well worth a few dollars per student’.” At three dollars per student per year, this is one of the lowest cost packages available with no data uploads.