Parent/Student Communications
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Blackboard Mass Notifications
The Cartersville School District has a valuable tool to communicate with parents and staff at a moments notice. Blackboard Mass Notifications gives the district the capability to send voice, text, and email messages within minutes to telephones or any Internet-enabled device, including mobile phones and computers.
Frequently Asked Questions about Blackboard Mass Notifications
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How will Blackboard Mass Notifications be used?
The Blackboard Mass Notification system will be used by the district to send important messages quickly to parents/guardians and staff. These messages can be sent by phone and/or email about emergency situations or school delays or closings due to inclement weather or transportation issues. Teachers in our district also use this as a means of communicating with students and parents/guardians.
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Do I need to register or sign-up to receive automated messages?
No. If you are a parent/guardian or staff member in the Cartersville City School District, you will automatically receive messages the district sends out via the Blackboard Mass Notifications.
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How do I opt out of text messages?
Text STOP to 60680 and you will not receive text messages. You will still receive emails and phone calls.
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How can I opt back in to text messages?
Text START to 60680.
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How will parents/guardians receive notifications?
As a parent/guardian, there are different ways messages will be delivered to you.
- For non-emergency messages, you will receive an email, text, phone call, or push notification (if app installed) from the District, School or your child's teacher.
- For attendance messages, you will receive a phone call.
- In the event of a school emergency, you will receive emails, texts, phone calls, and/or push notifications (if app installed) to keep you updated about the event.
- For non-emergency messages, you will receive an email, text, phone call, or push notification (if app installed) from the District, School or your child's teacher.
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How will I know that I have received an attendance message?
- Your Caller ID will display the school's main number.
- BlackBoard will leave a message on any answering machine or voicemail.
- Your Caller ID will display the school's main number.
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What if the line is busy or there is no answer?
Blackboard will make up to four attempts to reach each number, with three minutes between each call. If there is no answer after the fourth attempt, the system will consider that a failed call. If you are aware of a message that was not delivered to your number, please contact your school.
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How does the Blackboard system know the difference between a live person and an answering machine?
The system uses Advanced Machine Detection (AAMD) software. This software allows the system to start the message immediately after the phone is answered while listening for interruptions. If the system is not interrupted with the first 3.5 seconds, the message is delivered in its entirety. If the system detects a greeting longer than a few seconds, it treats this as an outgoing message from an answering machine and will wait for a pause before beginning the message.
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Why do I only receive half or part of the message on my answering system?
Your machine or answering service through your telephone provider may only record a portion of a message if your greeting is sporadic with varied periods of silence. This may be mistaken for a live answer and the message will start playing before your outgoing message has finished.
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My Caller ID shows the school or district called but there is no message. Why?
The Blackboard Mass Notification system plays the message as soon as the phone is picked up or answered. However, errors can occur if the person repeatedly says "hello" or answers in a noisy environment (i.e. traffic, children playing, loud music or television, dogs barking, etc.). Generally, if a person offers an extended greeting such that it overlaps the Blackboard Mass Notification message, the system pauses, waits for silence, and replays the message from the beginning.
With background noise, it is possible that the system is unable to detect the end of the "greeting" and thus the message did not initiate. In a noisy environment, call recipients can press any number (1-9) and the message will play from the beginning without interruption.
