XAVIER COLLEGE PREPARATORY IMPROVES EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION, PARENT OUTREACH AND RESPONSE WITH IMPLEMENTATION OF CONNECT-ED SERVICE

XAVIER COLLEGE PREPARATORY IMPROVES EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION, PARENT OUTREACH AND RESPONSE WITH IMPLEMENTATION OF CONNECT-ED SERVICE

School-to-Parent Communication System Built Specifically for K-12 Education Allows School Leaders to Reach Thousands of Parents in Minutes

(PHOENIX) – Xavier College Preparatory, an all-girls Catholic high school established in 1943 in Phoenix, announced today the immediate deployment of the Connect-ED communication service to provide school leaders with the ability to reach all parents, faculty and staff with time-sensitive information within minutes.

“Today we are forced to prepare for emergency situations that years ago we never could have anticipated happening,” said Sister Joan Fitzgerald, BVM, Xavier’s principal. “We recognize the important role that immediate communication plays in safety, and have chosen to implement Connect-ED technology to keep our parents and staff informed.”

The Connect-ED service by the NTI Group, Inc. enables school leaders to schedule, send and track personalized voice messages at up to six phone numbers and two email addresses per person. In all, the multi-modal service helps officials reach out to parents and staff via:

o Voice messages to home phones, work phones, cell phones and emails
o Text messages to cell phones, PDAs and other text-based devices
o Written messages to email accounts
o Messages to TTY/TDD receiving devices for the hearing impaired

The system can be used to inform parents and staff members of school closures and contingency plans due to inclement weather, issues arising from pandemics, or other late-breaking developments. Connect-ED has been successfully used by schools across the country during events such as Hurricane Katrina, school shootings, and to help locate missing children. It is also an effective way to keep parents informed about important events in their child’s education.

“It is crucial that we are able to notify parents immediately in emergency situations because up-to-date communication helps minimize the spread of misinformation, restores order and provides direction,” said Sister Joan.