April 21, 2023—Student safety and attendance are priorities at HPEDSB schools. Although it is important for students to attend school every day, there are times when appointments or other events result in an absence. Schools being aware of planned student absences enhances communication between home and school, and assist with identifying unexplained student absences quickly and efficiently.
Over the coming weeks, five HPEDSB schools will begin piloting a new student absence reporting system called SafeArrival.
SafeArrival is affiliated with SchoolMessenger, a system used by HPEDSB to send messages to families by email, SMS text and telephone.
The five schools participating in the pilot project are:
- Central Hastings School (K-12)
- Frankford Public School
- Foxboro Public School
- Trenton High School (7-12)
- Trent River Public School
All other schools will continue their existing student absence reporting processes. If the pilot project is successful, the SafeArrival absence reporting system will be introduced to all schools in fall 2023.
With SafeArrival, guardians can report an absence in advance, 24/7, using their choice of a mobile app, the SafeArrival website, or an interactive toll-free phone number. Future absences can be reported any time.
How does it work? If your student is marked absent and the absence hasn’t been reported in advance, SafeArrival will attempt to reach the student’s priority contact (the number you provided to the school) by email, SMS text and telephone to confirm the absence. If the system is unable to reach the designated contacts, the school office staff will call to follow up.
To sign up for SafeArrival app or website reporting, guardians must use the primary email address associated with their student's records at their school. Families participating in the pilot that aren't sure which email is their student's primary email, or who wish to change the primary email, are requested to contact their school office.
No email address is required for absence reporting through the toll-free phone number.