Good news: parents don’t need to download anything or create an account to stay in touch with their child’s school. SchoolStatus keeps communication simple; messages come straight to your regular phone or email, just like any other conversation.
If your child is enrolled, you’re already set up and ready to receive updates. No sign-up, no extra app, just easy communication between you and your child’s teachers.
Receiving SMS texts
Parents will first receive a generic introductory message that reads:
“This message is from (teacher’s name) at (school district). Messages via SchoolStatus use standard text messaging rates. Reply STOP to end this conversation, or INFO to receive a contact card for this sender.”
If the parent replies with INFO, they’ll receive a vCard (contact card) that they can save to their device.
SchoolStatus uses a proxy number, so the teacher's personal phone number is never shared with parents. When a parent replies, that number becomes “locked in,” keeping all messages in one continuous thread. If parents save the contact, they’ll recognize the number in future contacts.
To opt out of non-emergency messages, see the article below:
Help Parents Subscribe or Unsubscribe from Non-Emergency Messages
Receiving Phone calls
Each teacher–parent pair is assigned a unique phone number through SchoolStatus.
- When Teacher A contacts Parent A, a unique number is generated for that pair. Once the parent replies, that number becomes “locked in,” so future messages and calls appear in the same thread.
- When Teacher A contacts Parent B, a different unique number is generated for that pair and works the same way.
This connection remains consistent as long as:
- The parent responds to the teacher’s call or text, and
- The parents’ phone number stays the same.
What parents will hear when they answer the call:
Parents will hear a message letting them know the call is being recorded before they’re connected to the educator. This disclosure ensures legal compliance and transparency, as recording laws vary by state; some require only one party’s consent, while others require both.
If a parent misses the call, they can call back and follow the menu options below:
When a parent returns a call during the teacher’s office hours:
- To leave a voicemail, press 1.
- To speak to the faculty member directly, press 2.
- To speak to the school, press 3.
- To never receive a call or text from this number again, press 4.
When a parent returns a call outside of the teacher’s office hours:
- To leave a voicemail, press 1.
- To speak to the school, press 2.
- To never receive a call or text from this number again, press 3.
More resources:
Send a Broadcast to a Course or Student Group