Connect-Ed Frequently Asked Questions

QUESTION: Do I need to respond or call the school back after the test call on January 12?
ANSWER: No.  Unless you want to report a need for a change in your contact information, please do not call the school in response to the test call.  If you do need to make a change, please call the school office during office hours (7:30-4:00) to report the change to the building secretary.

If you have questions about the service or any of the contact information we have on record, please contact your building secretary at:

• High School, Mrs. Hobby, 309-456-3750, hobbys@westprairie.org
• Middle School, Mrs. Fosnow, 309-776-3220, fosnowm@westprairie.org
• North Elementary, Mrs. Phillips, 309-456-3920, phillipsc@westprairie.org
• South Elementary, Mrs. Bunnell, 309-776-3790, bunnellp@westprairie.org

QUESTION: I heard that my neighbor received a Connect-ED call from the school. I didn’t receive it. Why?
ANSWER: It’s quite possible that the school has an outdated or incorrect number on record in our Student Information System for your child.  Please call the school office where your student attends.  The school secretary there will be able to verify if we need to change the number listed for you.

QUESTION: What is the source of the contact information the school is using when sending messages from the Connect-ED system?
ANSWER: The schools are using the phone numbers and email addresses collected during registration.  If  you have any questions or need to change a number the school has on record, please contact the building secretary where your student attends.

QUESTION: How many numbers and email addresses can be stored in the Connect-ED system for each student?
ANSWER: The district can store up to 2 landlines, 2 cell numbers, and 2 work numbers for each student.  In addition, 2 email addresses can be stored as well.

QUESTION: What types of information will the school send using the Connect-Ed service?
ANSWER: The Connect-Ed service allows the district to send 3 types of messages in a variety of forms.

1. Community Outreach Messages:  This type of message is used when the district wants to inform parents of important deadlines or event that are approaching.  An example of a Community Outreach Message would be that the building principal sends a call to all parents reminding them of the next PTO meeting.  These types of messages are only sent to the primary phone and/or the email addresses listed for the household.  In most cases, the primary landline is a landline.  Community Outreach messages will not be sent to all numbers listed in your contact information.

2. Attendance Messages:  This type of message will be used to call/email parents asking them to contact the school secretary so that a student's absence can be verified.  Attendance messages will only be sent to the primary phone and up to two email addresses.  Attendance messages will not be sent to all numbers listed in your contact information.  For middle school and high school students, it is recommended that number listed for attendance purposes be something other than your home phone number.

3. Emergency Messages:  This type of message will be used in situations of upmost importance.  Examples would be school closings or early dismissal due to bad weather.  Emergency messages will be sent to all numbers we have on record and can also be sent to email addresses and text messages when appropriate.

QUESTION: I do not have any affiliation with West Prairie Schools. Can you stop calling me?
ANSWER: Please contact Scott Sullivan, Technology Director.  He can be reached by calling  the high school office at 309-456-3750 or via email.  You can then report the unwanted calls and we will update our records.

QUESTION: I received the call but I missed the information. What should I do?
ANSWER: While you are still on the call, you can replay the message by pressing star (*) on your phone at any time.

QUESTION: I received the call but my answering machine cut it off. Why?
ANSWER: The system attempts to detect whether it is a live person or and answering machine that has picked up the call. In rare instances, such as when an answering machine message contains a period of silence, the system will detect an answering machine as a live person and start to deliver the message prior to the beep. Sometimes, a message is cut off by an answering machine simply because its duration is longer than the machine allows for a single message. Generally an answering machine will cut off a message after one minute. By keeping messages under one minute, we can minimize the chances of messages not delivering in full.

QUESTION: I received the call on my cell phone but it kept looping/repeating. Why?
ANSWER: The system does its best to detect whether there is a live person or an answering machine picking up the call. Sometimes when there is ambient noise, the system inappropriately detects a live person as an answering machine. When this happens, it continues to wait for the answering machine’s beep followed by a brief moment of silence before starting to play the message from the beginning. The listener can prevent the message from looping by minimizing background noise or pressing mute on the phone.

QUESTION:  Will there be other attempts to reach me if I am unable to pick up the call?
ANSWER: Yes, the system will make a total of three attempts to reach you or your answering machine. If it is unable to reach you within two hours it will stop calling and list the reason the message was undeliverable.