School System Updates and Announcements

Dear South Orange & Maplewood School District Family,

Our school district will begin using SchoolMessenger to deliver text messages to staff and parent mobile devices. In addition to robocalls and email notifications, text messages will now be used to send information about events, school closings, safety alerts and more.

In order to begin receiving text message notifications from the district, all staff and parents must opt-in to messaging services.  Beginning on Thursday, December 19th  (and throughout the remainder of the school year) the district will begin sending opt-in text messages to the phone numbers that we have on file.

• Recipients can opt-in by responding “Y” (or “Yes”), via to the opt-in message or by texting “Y” to 67587.
• Recipients can opt-out by responding “STOP” or by visiting http://schoolmessenger.com/txtmsg

In order to communicate with you through SchoolMessenger, it is important that we have the most up-to-date contact information available for all parties.

• Parents, if you have not yet completed the annual online parent portal forms, we are requesting you do so as soon as possible. More information for parents is found here.
• All staff members are asked to communicate any telephone number changes to the Human Resources department using the “Change staff contact information” form found on the Human Resources website.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do recipients “Opt-In” to receive text messages? 

Recipients can opt-in by responding “Y” (or “Yes”), via to the opt-in message or by texting “Y” to 67587.

How do recipients opt-out of receiving text messages? 

Recipients not wishing to receive text messages to a particular number can simply do one of the following:

1. Don’t opt-in and don’t reply to the opt-in invitation message.
2. Text “STOP” to 67587 at any time.
3. Opt out online at http://schoolmessenger.com/txtmsg.

I received a text message that says it’s from SchoolMessenger? What does it mean? 

If it was from 67587, that was most likely the Opt-In Invitation message sent by School Messenger.
To continue receiving informational text messages from the school(s) reply with “Y”.
If you do not reply, you won’t receive any future texts from our schools.

I “Opted-In”, but I’m not receiving texts? 

Ensure that the district has your correct mobile number. It may take 24 hours for a number to become active after being changed or added to the district’s system.

• Parents, if you have not yet completed the annual online parent portal forms, we are requesting you do so as soon as possible. More information for parents is found here.
• All staff members are asked to communicate any telephone number changes to the Human Resources department using the “Change staff contact information” form found on the Human Resources website.

How do I know if it worked? 

After you text one of the key words to the short code the system will ALWAYS respond back with one of three messages:

• Opt-in Response: You’re registered 4 SchoolMessenger notifications. Reply STOP to cancel, HELP for help. Msg&data rates may apply. msg freq varies. schoolmessenger.com/txt
• Opt-out Response: You’re unsubscribed from SchoolMessenger. No more msgs will be sent. Reply Y to resubscribe, HELP for help. Msg&data rates may apply. schoolmessenger.com/txt
• Help or Unknown Key Word Response: SchoolMessenger notification service: Reply Y to subscribe or STOP to cancel. Msg&data rates may apply. Msg freq varies. Visit schoolmessenger.com/txt for info
• Any other response – or no response: indicates the recipient should contact their wireless device provider to have SMS messaging/premium content enabled (see below for more details).

What does it mean if I texted “Y” or “yes” and I received some sort of error message back? 

If you receive what appears to be an error message, similar to one of the following, it most likely means that short code text messaging is not enabled on your wireless subscription plan:

• Service access denied
• Message failed
• Shortcode may have expired or shortcode texting may be blocked on your account
• Does not participate

These replies DO NOT indicate that the wireless provider cannot receive messages from Communicate. Rather, they are an indication that the specific mobile device does not have short code SMS texting enabled for that number (this is sometimes disabled by default on company provided cell phones). To address this, contact your wireless provider.

Note: Providers sometimes use various names for this type of texting service (e.g. short code, SMS, premium, etc.). If you simply ask about text messaging, your carrier may assume you are referring to person-to-person. Therefore, be very clear to refer to “short code” text messages. Most TV programs that have a voting component use short code SMS messaging (e.g. American Idol, Dancing with the Stars). In addition, many department or grocery stores use SMS to distribute coupons and deals. Using an example such as this can be helpful in clarifying the type of texting service you want to enable.

Will I be charged for the text messages that I receive from School Messenger?

School Messenger does not charge recipients for the text messages that they receive or send to the short code; however, wireless providers may charge for individual text messages, depending on the plan associated with the wireless device. Please consult your carrier if you are uncertain.