Emergency preparedness: Oswego SD308 looking to improve communications system

Oswego SD308 is looking at ways to improve communication between the district and the community, including when an emergency arises.

The issue was discussed during the Monday, May 8, School Board meeting. As Theresa Komitas, the district’s director of communications and public relations, noted to the School Board, there was a previous discussion to move from the Blackboard system to Catapult for mass communications and later website content management.

“However, while evaluating potential solutions to an identified need in emergency communications, Safety Coordinator Mike Frieders found Catapult to be his first choice,” Komitas told board members. “Catapult’s EMS (Emergency Management System) module allows for easy, two-way communications during an emergency. This type of communication will help staff to easily report an emergency and for staff to stay informed during a situation. This also eases communication between the district’s leadership team and building leaders during an incident.”

“What we’re looking to achieve with this is to really enhance the safety of our staff and our students by quickly being able to convey messages during a time of crisis.”

—  Mike Frieders, Oswego SD308 safety coordinator

Komitas told board members that by choosing the same vendor for both mass communications and emergency management reporting and tracking and communications, the district will experience “further integrations, lessen issues between providers and provide a more reliable source for staff information in an emergency.”

“What we’re looking to achieve with this is to really enhance the safety of our staff and our students by quickly being able to convey messages during a time of crisis,” Frieders told board members. “It will allow us to enhance some of those communication tools we already have in place by providing a functionality on a device with our staff so we can push a message to them. We can pull a message back and receive real time information for what’s happening inside the buildings at an administrative level and also at a district level.”

Along with being an emergency and crisis management tool, the EMS module also provides anonymous bully reporting with text and email alerts.

“It allows us to integrate with our first responders and send real time information to dispatch centers to have first responders come to our location,” Frieders said.

Catapult would charge $34,598.50 for the first year of the contract. The ongoing annual cost would be $29,352.50.

The School Board is set to discuss the proposal in June. Board action for June will include only the communications module and the EMS module, Komitas said.

If approved in June, it will take roughly 4-6 weeks to build, and train, allowing for use to begin at the start of the upcoming school year, she told board members.