With Hurricane Dean Looming, The NTI Group Works Alongside HISD to Update
Parent Contact Information for the Connect-ED Emergency Communication System 
HOUSTON, TX --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- August 17, 2007 - In preparation for the school year, Houston Independent School District (HISD) announced today a district-wide data drive for their school to parent notification system, Connect-ED from the NTI Group, Inc. As Hurricane Dean sets its course for Texas, HISD officials are taking this opportunity to encourage parents to give the school district updated contact information to make sure that the district can take full advantage of the Connect-ED service. The system gives district leaders and security professionals the ability to reach all parents and staff with time-sensitive information during unforeseen events or emergencies, within minutes, through a single phone call.
Last year, HISD used the Connect-ED system to deliver more than 3.3 million phone messages to parents and staff. With the school year starting on August 27 and hurricane season in full swing, having updated contact information in the Connect-ED system is crucial to reach parents and guardians with important district-wide announcements.
“It is critically important that we be able to get in touch with our parents immediately in emergencies or with other important school information,” Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra said. “With our new technology we can provide vital information directly to parents in minutes, but only if we have the correct contact information. We’re urging our parents to update their contact information with their schools as quickly as possible so that if we have an emergency and when we have important information to share, we can call them with those messages and reach everyone.”
“As students head back to school, we are strongly encouraging parents and college students across the nation to ensure that they take responsibility for providing their schools with up to date information as quickly as possible. Hurricane Dean serves as a reminder to all of us that we need to be prepared today,” said Robin Richards, Chairman and CEO of NTI.
The Connect-ED service enables campus leaders to schedule, send, and track personalized voice messages to up to six phone numbers per person, and sends messages via four different modes of communication:
- Voice messages to home phones, work phones, cell phones, and even e-mails
- Text messages to cell phones, PDAs and other text-based devices
- Written messages to e-mail accounts
- Messages to TTY/TDD receiving devices for the hearing impaired
