BPS COVID Communications Update

BPS families,

We wanted to take a moment to check in with you regarding our BPS COVID-related communications. We are implementing some changes we think will be welcomed and also wanted to make you aware of some ongoing issues with our communications system.

We have heard from many families that the COVID case notification text messages are all too frequent and this often causes families to miss the very important message that their child needs to quarantine. We recognize there is a fine line between keeping families informed with transparent communications and overwhelming you with too many text messages. As we have mentioned before, this is our first time managing school in a global pandemic. With this challenge comes the need for first-time procedures which inevitably will need to be modified along the way. 

Relative to COVID notifications:

  • School sites will no longer send a text to notify families of each positive case.

  • Quarantine alerts will continue to be sent via text AND we will also be adding email as well due to the issues related to our text delivery (see below).

  • In place of sending a site notification text for each case, we will send a summary on Fridays that will include a weekly update of cases as well as the current status of distance learning across the district.

  • Staff notifications of positive cases will continue.

This change is simply to cut down on the number of text messages sent, not to decrease the information available to families. We will continue to maintain and update our COVID Data Dashboard daily so families always have access to this information.

Additionally, we are aware that we have some continued troubleshooting to do relative to our text message delivery. In short:

  • In our system, messages show “completed” which SHOULD mean all is well. However, we have families not receiving these text messages listed as “complete” for their contact number.

  • The majority of these cases are occurring with T-Mobile/Sprint cell phone numbers. 

  • Our provider is working to correct this issue.

For families who are not currently receiving text communications, please follow the steps below: 

  • Confirm cell phone numbers are correct in PowerSchool. This can be done by contacting your school site secretary.

  • Confirm with your provider that your cell phone is able to receive text messages from 5-digit phone numbers.

  • Save the number 989-01 as a contact number in your phone. This is the number from which all BPS communications are sent.

  • Confirm with your provider there is no spam blocker in place preventing you from receiving these messages.

  • If you have previously opted out, you can opt back in by texting “start” to 989-01.

We will continue to work diligently to resolve this issue with our provider. As always, please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or concerns. We are here to help and ensure all families are kept in the loop!

Thank you,

Jessica Jernegan

Director of School & Community Engagement