Honeywell (NYSE:HON) today announced that B. F. Terry High School, part of the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (Lamar CISD) in Rosenberg, Texas, has selected Honeywell Instant Alert® for Schools to help improve parent communication and emergency responsiveness.
The Web-based notification service replaces the school’s phone trees, giving administrators a way to send clear, consistent messages — in English or Spanish — to thousands of families within minutes via phone, cell phone, pager, e-mail and PDA.
“With Instant Alert, we’re better prepared to respond in an emergency, but we’re also equipped to communicate more proactively with parents in everyday situations,” said Vera Wehring, principal at B. F. Terry High School, an Instant Alert pilot site for Lamar CISD. “We expect the service to enhance the learning environment and increase academic achievement, because informed parents mean informed students.”
The school will use the service to update parents on everything from emergencies and weather-related issues to bus delays and event cancellations. B. F. Terry, which has more than 1,700 9-12 students, is the first school in the Houston area to adopt Instant Alert. It joins more than 1,100 schools nationwide using the service, including 20 other Texas schools.
To use Instant Alert, a designated representative for the school initiates a message through a secure Web site or by phone. The message is instantly relayed to all contact points provided by parents or guardians. Parents can update their contact information online, select a language preference and specify how they want to be reached — e-mail for a routine message, and e-mail and cell phone for emergency communications, for example.
“In today’s environment, it’s important to get accurate information to parents as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Thomas Randle, superintendent of Lamar CISD, which serves more than 20,600 K-12 students. “Instant Alert gives us a reliable and efficient way to reach parents with the information they need about their children.”
Christy Willman, executive director of community relations for Lamar CISD, cites an example. “When the high winds damaged Meyer Elementary School last April, we used a phone tree and our media relations to reach parents about the resulting delay,” Willman said. “It was a complex and lengthy operation that could have been very simple if we had Instant Alert.”
In addition to broadcasting news to all parents, Instant Alert allows schools to develop an unlimited number of subgroups — including sports teams, clubs, parent organizations and grade levels — and send customized messages to these groups. To help combat truancy, teachers and administrators also can send alerts to individual parents.
As an added safety feature, Instant Alert uses the same Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption protocol that protects financial and banking Web sites. And because it is Web-based, the district does not have to install any hardware, software or additional phone lines, keeping costs low.
“Knowing where and how to reach parents quickly is a challenge for educators, especially in today’s mobile society,” said Mike Taylor, vice president of Americas marketing for Honeywell Building Solutions. “Instant Alert gives schools the ability to rapidly and accurately communicate with parents — whether they’re at home, at work or on the road.”
For more information about Honeywell Instant Alert for Schools, visit www.honeywell.com/instantalert.
Honeywell International is a $31 billion diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell's shares are traded on the New York, London and Chicago Stock Exchanges. It is one of the 30 stocks that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average and is also a component of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. For additional information, please visit www.honeywell.com. Honeywell Building Solutions is part of the Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions business group, a global leader in providing product and service solutions that improve efficiency and profitability, support regulatory compliance, and maintain safe, comfortable environments in homes, buildings and industry. For more information about Building Solutions, access www.honeywell.com/buildingsolutions.
This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of fact, that address activities, events or developments that we or our management intend, expect, project, believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s assumptions and assessments in light of past experience and trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other relevant factors. They are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results, developments and business decisions may differ from those envisaged by our forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements are also subject to risks and uncertainties, which can affect our performance in both the near- and long-term. We identify the principal risks and uncertainties that affect our performance in our Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Instant Alert® is a registered trademark of Honeywell International Inc.
