Lyons School District now at your fingertips, helping school personnel to engage directly with families across multiple platforms, changing the rules for USD 405 schools’ social engagement announcements.

USD 405 announces the roll out of our new app. Apptegy , an education technology company based in Little Rock, Arkansas, lets school districts engage directly with families across multiple platforms, such as our website, Facebook, and Twitter. With the now released mobile applications for iPhone and Android that will provide parents with information. The free mobile apps in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store will be available by searching for “Lyons USD 405”. Community members can expect to see more stories and regular updates from Lyons School District. With Apptegy’s “thrillshare,” the school can send out alerts simultaneously via push notifications, text messages, voice calls and social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter.

On September 1, 2019, Lyons School District unveiled a new website with the mobile app design in development. District leadership announce the release of new mobile applications for iPhone and Android with school information such as events, athletic scores, cafeteria menus, emergency notifications, and other pertinent information. The effort is in partnership with Apptegy.

There is a live feed that will update on the website, something similar to Twitter but for a school. The USD 405 calendar is an important part of our website. All meal menus, sporting events and school events for the entire district are found on the website. In addition, updates and cancellations not known for the printed calendar are posted there then transfers to the mobile app.

Apptegy, which works as a website and a matching phone app, also allows schools to avoid social media platforms altogether, instead communicating directly with families and community members through the technology program. The program has three primary functions — a live feed on the district’s website, a spot for district news bites, and a notification piece that zips alerts to phones and computers. e

Our world has gone mobile. Smartphones are the primary devices used by families to organize their work, home and school lives. The 77% of American adults who own smartphones check them about 52 times a day—that’s quadruple the time we spend on our desktop computers.

To succeed in this environment, modern schools need to think mobile in how they engage parents. With the newly-adopted tools, the district staff can share information across all of these communication channels. USD 405 leadership sees sharing news and updates on mobile devices and social media as critical to educating in the 21st century. Leaders anticipate the app will continue to grow 405’s already strong relationship with the community by keeping all stakeholders better informed about the many great things taking place in the Lyons schools.

Notifications on the app could involve anything from announcing the opening night of a school play to school closings because of inclement weather. It just depends on what the administration chooses to put out. Like any other app, push notifications can be turned off, depending on what the user wants. Current correct phone numbers must be on file for users to receive important information. Lyons is taking this initiative to engage community members on the devices and social networks they use most.

405 Deploys Mobile App