- Akron Central Schools
- School Messenger
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SchoolMessenger is a district-wide messaging system used by Akron Schools to communicate with families and staff. From emergencies to newsletters, a variety of messages may be sent via email, text message, or voice recording. Our goal as always is to ensure our school community finds out first about important information, new and alerts.
SchoolMessenger calls will go to the phone number(s) submitted when a student enrolls in the school district. The numbers are entered into PowerSchool, our student management system. You can view your child's contact information by logging into the Parent Portal and clicking on the School Messenger Contacts link from the left menu. (If you need help accessing the Parent Portal, please contact our Technology Department at (716)542-5045.
- Phone calls from SchoolMessenger will announce that the call is coming “from the Akron Central School District”. Caller ID will show 716 542-5010.
- Building level calls will show the school’s phone number on Caller ID.
- Some announcements may also be sent through the SchoolMessenger email system.
- Short announcements may be sent by text message. They will come from the short code number 67587.
- You should expect to receive an attendance call if your child is absent from school.
SchoolMessenger FAQs
Here are answers to some Frequently Asked Questions about SchoolMessenger.
We will update this web page as needed, so please let us know if your question is not answered below. Email us at webmaster@akronk12.org. Thank you.
Who gets SchoolMessenger messages from my child’s school?
The first two contacts listed in each student’s PowerSchool student management system record will be sent messages, as relevant, from the Elementary, Middle or High School or the District. This may include texts (also known as SMS), emails, and recorded voice messages.
You’ll want to be sure you have provided accurate home phone numbers, cell phone numbers, and email addresses to ensure you receive all pertinent communications.
Attendance notifications are automated voice messages; all other communications are dependent on the purpose and urgency of the message.
What are Attendance Notifications?
When a student is absent, the parent or guardian will receive an automated call from the District alerting and/or confirming the student’s absence.
Attendance calls are sent to phone numbers as an automated voice message; these calls are sent to the phone numbers that you have identified as the attendance contact(s).
How do I make sure I get text message alerts?- Parents, guardians, and staff can have access to the text messaging service.
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- Ensure your mobile device number is on file with our school.
- Text “Y” or “Yes” to our district’s short code number: 67587
How do I make changes to my contact information?
Phone and email updates for your child(ren) must be done by contacting the District’s Central Registrar. Please email Madison Machelski at mmachelski@akronk12.org or call (716)542-5039.
The school has my correct information, but I don't receive emails or text messages. Why?
Emails may be going into your spam/junk folder. Please check those folders. Adding noreply@akronk12.org to your contacts or VIP list may help prevent messages from going to your spam/junk folder in the future.
You may have inadvertently opted out of Akron Central School District emails. If you think this may be the case, please email aklose@akronk12.org and we can delete the opt-out.
You may have inadvertently opted out of Akron Central School District text messages. If you opt out of any SMS texts from Akron Schools, you opt out of them all. If you think this may be the case, unblock your number by texting “Y” (just the letter, not the quotation marks) from that cell phone to 67587.
If you don’t think any of these suggestions are the problem, or you run into other issues, please email aklose@akronk12.org. Please include your child’s name, school building, and Student ID number, if known.
How does SchoolMessenger protect data privacy?
SchoolMessenger is compliant with the NYS Privacy regulations, so your information is safe and will never be given or sold to anyone.
What is SMS?
SMS stands for Short Message Service and is commonly referred to as a text message. Most cell phones support this type of text messaging. SchoolMessenger uses a true SMS protocol developed by the telecommunications industry, specifically for mass text messaging, referred to as “short code” texting. This method is fast, secure, and highly reliable because it is strictly regulated by the wireless carriers and only allows access to approved providers.
SchoolMessenger does not charge recipients for text messages they receive; however, wireless providers may charge for individual text messages, depending on the plan associated with the wireless device.
Can I opt out?
While we cannot prevent a parent or guardian from opting out of SchoolMessenger, we highly discourage it. Opting out means missing urgent messages from our school, including weather-related closings and emergency information.