Use of the ConnectED system

Question: What is B-P's policy for utilizing the ConnectED phone alert system? This is a powerful tool that can be used to contact a massive number of school district residents in the event of an emergency. I do not believe that the intent of the school board, when it authorized the purchase, was for this system to be used as an advertising vehicle for fundraisers and school events. Over-utilization will tend to "turn off" residents and parents to the urgency of a real emergency situation.

Answer: The ConnectED automated phone system was purchased as part of a Board of Education goal to increase communication without increasing the amount of paper we use. Since we began using the system, we've received a lot of good reviews -- in fact, we've used the system twice when children have gone missing to positive results.

A limited number of people in the school district have access to the ConnectED system, and messages must go through them before they are disseminated to the public. There are some messages that maybe should not have gone out, but we are constantly monitoring the type of messages that are sent to residents in order to optimize the use of the system without abusing it.

That being said, anyone who would like to opt out of receiving ConnectED calls from Broadalbin-Perth can call Georgia Baldwin at 954-2500.
- answered by Stephen Tomlinson, Superintendent