Bellevue Public Schools purchased an emergency alert service in response to the recent shooting at Millard South High School.
Spokeswoman Cathy Williams said the district will pay SchoolMessenger $1.25 per student — for a total of $12,467.50 based on current enrollment figures — to provide emergency notification to parents and staff members.
The telephone notifications will only be used for emergencies and for inclement weather announcements, Williams said. The district is still working on policies for the software, including when notifications would be made for school cancellations and how parent contact information would be updated.
The school board discussed purchasing such as system at its retreat last month.
Acting Superintendent Jeff Rippe said the proposal came as part of the district’s review of safety plans with the Bellevue Police Department and Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office following the Millard South shooting on Jan. 5. He initially estimated the cost of such as system at about $14,000 before the agreement was finalized.
“I kind of look at that as an insurance plan,” Rippe said. “If we ever need it, it will be the best $14,000 we ever spent.”
Many other local school districts already have similar systems in place, including Millard Public Schools and the Papillion-La Vista School District.
Williams said the district hopes to have the notification system in place by the end of February.
SchoolMessenger will connect to the district’s new student information system, PowerSchool, and will initially use parent contact information already provided to the district.
A test of the system is planned after it is operational. Williams said parents will receive advanced notification of the test along with directions on how to update their contact information.
The district narrowed its search for an emergency alert service provider to two companies in January. Both companies bid the same rate, but school officials preferred the SchoolMessenger product.
SchoolMessenger is a product of Santa Cruz, Calif.-based company Reliance Communications, which was founded in 1999. The company provides notification software to thousands of school districts and educational facilities in all 50 states.
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