WILL NEED TO ADJUST TO A NEW WAY OF COMMUNICATING. A KENTUCKY LAW NOW REQUIRES ALL DISTRICTS TO USE TRACEABLE COMMUNICATION APPS. ADDIE MEINERS WAS IN HARDIN COUNTY TODAY, WHERE THE NEW APP THAT MOST DISTRICTS WILL USE WAS ALREADY BEING IMPLEMENTED. HARDIN COUNTY SCHOOLS WAS ALREADY WORKING ON IMPLEMENTING AN APPLICATION FOR STUDENTS, PARENTS AND TEACHERS EVEN BEFORE THE PASSAGE OF SENATE BILL 181. NOW, WITH SCHOOL STARTING ON THURSDAY, HARDIN COUNTY SCHOOLS SAY THEY’RE READY. I WAS VERY NERVOUS ABOUT SWITCHING, BUT THRILL SHARE AND ROOMS HAS PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING THAT BAND HAS. SARAH IS TEACHING FOR HER SEVENTH YEAR AT HARDIN COUNTY SCHOOLS. LIKE EVERY OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICT IN KENTUCKY, THEY’RE NOW REQUIRING STUDENTS AND STAFF TO ONLY COMMUNICATE THROUGH A TRACEABLE COMMUNICATION APP. HARDIN COUNTY SCHOOLS IS USING THRILL SHARE VIA THE SCHOOL DISTRICT’S APP. I THINK IT’S JUST BROUGHT UNIFORMITY. IT’S TRACEABLE. IT FITS WHAT THE LAW HAS REQUIRED US TO DO. JOHN WRIGHT, WITH HARDIN COUNTY SCHOOLS SAYS THIS WILL STREAMLINE ALL COMMUNICATION TO ONE PLACE. YOU’LL SEE, A LIVE FEED INFORMATION, BASICALLY NEWS THAT WE SEND OUT. YOU CAN YOU CAN GET INFORMATION FROM THE DISTRICT. YOU CAN ALSO GET INFORMATION FROM YOUR SCHOOL IN HARDIN COUNTY SCHOOLS APP. EACH TEACHER AND COACH WILL BUILD A ROOM. THEY’LL ADD THE STUDENTS IN THEIR CLASS OR ON THEIR TEAM TO THAT ROOM, WHICH INCLUDES THE STUDENT’S PARENTS, THEIR TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS CAN SEND OUT IMPORTANT INFORMATION, NOTIFICATIONS, AND EVEN DIRECT MESSAGES STUDENT OR PARENT AND VICE VERSA. I HAVE A CALENDAR, I HAVE UPDATES, WE JUST HAD CHOREOGRAPHY FOR CHEERLEADING, AND WE HAD PARENTS BRING IN FOOD. I WAS ABLE TO DO A GROUP MESSAGE. I WAS ABLE TO SEE WHAT PARENTS VIEWED THAT MESSAGE. WITH STUDENTS HEADING BACK TO CLASS ON THURSDAY, PIPPA’S FIRST HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT OF THE YEAR IS FOR PARENTS. JUST MAKE SURE YOUR NOTIFICATIONS ARE TURNED ON AND THAT YOU’RE CHECKING FOR THE INFORMATION.
As school districts across Kentucky head back to class this week, they can now only communicate with school staff, teachers, and coaches through traceable communication apps.That’s thanks to the passage of Senate Bill 181, which requires that all communication between students and their teachers, coaches, volunteers or school staff be through messaging apps that can be traced. The law officially took effect on July 1.Each school district has its own choice of which app(s) it wants to use to communicate. For many local districts, like JCPS, Bullitt County, and Hardin County, the app Thrillshare, also known as Rooms, is being used through the individual district’s app. Parents in those districts need to download their school district’s app, while teachers will need to download the Thrillshare app.Hardin County Schools was already in the process of implementing this app when SB 181 was passed. “With the app, you’ll see live feed information, which is basically news sends out. You can also get information from your school, like ‘Our cheerleading team won the region competition’ or ‘Our soccer team will play a very important rivalry game tonight,'” said John Wright, director of public relations for Hardin County Schools. “So that the app will help us tremendously. It’s also the same app that will send our ‘All Call’ messages in, so parents don’t have to download another app for that.”In the new app, teachers and coaches can create a “room” for their class or team. They’ll then add their students to the room, which also adds the students’ parents. There, teachers or coaches can send out important information, notifications, or direct message a parent or student, and vice versa. All communication cannot be deleted or tampered with. Sarah Pipta, a seventh-grade math teacher and cheerleading coach at East Hardin Middle School, said while the transition has been tedious, having a streamlined communication system is much easier.”The messages are a lot like texting,” said Pipta. “And I can immediately see who saw it. It even does the bubbles for when someone is typing. They can like or love a message, they can even laugh at a message. So it’s pretty much exactly like the that everybody is used to.”In other school districts, like in Oldham County, the app Talking Points will be used. Each school district can choose which app it uses. Check with your student’s school district to make sure you have the right one.
As school districts across Kentucky head back to class this week, they can now only communicate with school staff, teachers, and coaches through traceable communication apps.
That’s thanks to the passage of Senate Bill 181, which requires that all communication between students and their teachers, coaches, volunteers or school staff be through messaging apps that can be traced.
The law officially took effect on July 1.
Each school district has its own choice of which app(s) it wants to use to communicate. For many local districts, like JCPS, Bullitt County, and Hardin County, the app Thrillshare, also known as Rooms, is being used through the individual district’s app.
Parents in those districts need to download their school district’s app, while teachers will need to download the Thrillshare app.
Hardin County Schools was already in the process of implementing this app when SB 181 was passed.
“With the app, you’ll see live feed information, which is basically news [the district] sends out. You can also get information from your school, like ‘Our cheerleading team won the region competition’ or ‘Our soccer team will play a very important rivalry game tonight,'” said John Wright, director of public relations for Hardin County Schools. “So that the app will help us tremendously. It’s also the same app that will send our ‘All Call’ messages in, so parents don’t have to download another app for that.”
In the new app, teachers and coaches can create a “room” for their class or team. They’ll then add their students to the room, which also adds the students’ parents. There, teachers or coaches can send out important information, notifications, or direct message a parent or student, and vice versa.
All communication cannot be deleted or tampered with.
Sarah Pipta, a seventh-grade math teacher and cheerleading coach at East Hardin Middle School, said while the transition has been tedious, having a streamlined communication system is much easier.
“The messages are a lot like texting,” said Pipta. “And I can immediately see who saw it. It even does the bubbles for when someone is typing. They can like or love a message, they can even laugh at a message. So it’s pretty much exactly like the [texting] that everybody is used to.”
In other school districts, like in Oldham County, the app Talking Points will be used.
Each school district can choose which app it uses. Check with your student’s school district to make sure you have the right one.
