PSUSD launches new attendance texting system to better support families

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — Palm Springs Unified School District is preparing to launch a new attendance communication system next week that officials say could make reporting an absence easier for parents while also helping schools identify when a family may need additional support.

Under the new system, parents and guardians will receive a text message when their student is marked absent. Instead of having to call the school or download a separate app, families can respond directly to the message and explain the absence in their own words.

For parents like Marisol Guerrero, the change could make a difference during mornings when caring for a sick child takes priority over everything else.

“I’m thinking more about, like, ‘Oh, how is my child doing? Is their fever going down? I need to get the medication,’” Guerrero said. “Being able to just answer to this text message, I think is going to make it a lot easier.”

District leaders say that convenience is one of the main reasons for the change. Garrett Schaperjahn, coordinator of student services for PSUSD, said the district is trying to communicate with families in the way many already communicate throughout their day.

“We all text, and you don’t have to download an app. You don’t have to do anything like that,” Schaperjahn said. “You’re just going to get a text message that says, ‘We noticed your kid’s out today. Do you mind telling us why?’”

Parent Sal Cavazos said being able to respond immediately could keep attendance reporting from getting lost in a busy schedule.

“If I see that text message come through, I can respond to it right away with a simple word,” Cavazos said. “It’s so helpful to be able to respond in that moment.”

But district officials say the system is intended to go beyond documenting whether a student is sick or has a doctor’s appointment.

If a response points to a larger issue — such as transportation problems, a family crisis or a mental health concern — community liaisons can follow up with the family and determine what additional help may be available.

Leslie Coronado, a district community liaison with the Student Services Department, said that could include connecting families with transportation assistance, counselors, school administrators or other district resources.

“We provide services. We connect families with resources,” Coronado said. “When it comes to transportation, we’re able to connect families with transportation as well depending on their needs.”

Coronado said having that information earlier gives staff a better opportunity to understand what may be keeping a student out of class and respond before the problem grows.

“It gives us a heads up on what the family is going through,” Coronado said. “And so we’re able to work with the school and just connect them, whether it’s with the school site counselor, or it could be with administrators.”

The district says the level of support will depend on each family’s individual circumstances. In some cases, the response may simply explain a one-day absence. In others, it could begin a larger conversation about barriers that are making it difficult for a student to regularly attend school.

PSUSD also told News Channel 3 that responses sent through the attendance texts will go directly to staff handling the communication at the student’s school and will not be shared outside of those community liaisons.

The new system will launch district-wide for parents and guardians next week.