Telecphone Communication

Telephone Communication

Chrispeels, Boruta, and Daugherty (1988) provide suggestions for using the telephone to communicate with parents and families:

"In addition to using the telephone as a means of collecting information from parents, the telephone can also be used to communicate with parents. Schools are using automatic telephone answering or message machines to provide information to parents on a call-in basis. They can provide information on topics similar to those addressed in school newsletters or handbooks, but in an oral rather than written form. Messages can be recorded in the languages spoken by the parent community.

Automated telephone systems or telephone answering machines can be used in a variety of ways:

The telephone can serve as a recorded bulletin board giving time, date, and place for upcoming parent meetings, extracurricular activities, and school events. These messages are changed regularly.

The telephone system can provide prerecorded information on district or school-specific programs such as busing schedules, school lunch programs, and integration or magnet school options.

The telephone can be used to give prerecorded information to students and parents on general topics of concern such as drug and alcohol abuse, ways for parents to help their children succeed in school, school laws, and testing. A card that lists the available prerecorded messages is distributed to all parents.

The advantages of automated systems are that they are inexpensive to operate and the caller can remain anonymous. However, callers need to be given numbers where they can get additional help.

Notification of Student's Absence
The telephone is especially useful for notification of student absences and tardies. Schools use clerical staff and parent and community volunteers to call parents to notify them promptly of a student's absence or tardiness. Schools that consistently practice this have found that the number of absences and tardies decreases significantly. Callers from the school make the expectations clear to parents. The expectations are expressed that school and parents have a responsibility to see that the student gets to school regularly and on time, and that parents should notify the school promptly whenever the student is absent.

Notification of absences and tardies also can be done by an automated telephone message device. This method allows the person calling to give a response, which is recorded. The use of the recorded message is especially expedient for large schools." (pp. 65-66)

Courtesy of the San Diego County Office of Education.

References