The Roanoke Rapids Graded School District is expanding its parental communication system to translate alerts into more native languages.
The changes to the automated call system will “make it more equitable for all students and their families. The updated system will now translate emergency messages and notifications from the district in the student’s native language,” the school system said.
“We have more than a dozen different nationalities represented in our district,” said David Cooke, the system’s chief information and technology officer. “Parents will now get a text notification in their native language whenever an automated call is made for school closings, or other notifications.”
School system spokesman Les Atkins some of the additional languages include Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Yoruba and Hindi.
Atkins said the school system is averaging two to three calls per week to parents regarding the current remote learning plan and packet/meal distribution due to COVID-19. “This has been invaluable as we continue to stay connected with our students and parents.”
The district worked with its website provider Apptegy, an Arkansas based technology company, that specializes in school system digital connectivity, to implement the upgrade.
Additionally, the district upgraded its mobile app to include school news, events, lunch menus, and notifications from each of its schools and its district office.
“The app can be customized to receive notifications from each individual school or multiple schools if parents have students in several schools,” Cooke said.
District Superintendent Dain Butler said, “Our schools are busy places and parents need a trusted place to find accurate information instantly. This upgrade will help us reach all of our parents and stakeholders in a more equitable way.”
In addition to posting notifications and news on its website, the district will continue to use its social media channels — Facebook and Twitter.
The mobile app can be downloaded in both the Apple App Store and Google Play.
It is compatible with both smartphones and tablets.
