Communications and Website Platform

The vendor is required to provide communications and website platform services on an “as needed” basis.
- The solution should be scalable, secure, and integrate with existing district systems.
- The goals of implementing a new communications system are:
•    Have full implementation of a new district website by June 30, 2026 
•    Have full implementation of all new school websites by June 30, 2026 
•    Streamline website creation and navigation for the district website 
•    Improve communication between parents and school staff 
•    Provide easy access for parents to critical information 
•    Easy to use website tools that allow updating 
•    Streamline district to school communication processes by allowing content to be posted from the distinct to all school sites.
- Technical requirements:
1. User accounts
•    Ability to customize and manage user access and permissions based on district and schoolwide positions (e.g., district administrator, school administrator, teacher, support staff). 
•    This includes granular control over data visibility and functionality access for each role.
•    Ability for users to be rostered or associated with multiple schools or locations, allowing them to manage applications or access data across different sites as needed.
•    Ability to import user rosters and data from existing systems, specifically PowerSchool and class link, to streamline user account creation and minimize manual entry.
•    Ability for users to securely log in via single sign-on (SSO) using district-supported identity providers (e.g., class link, google, active directory) to enhance security and simplify the login process.
•    Ability to track user activity and access logs for auditing and security purposes. 
•    Ability to provide self-service password reset and account recovery options for end users who are parents and guardians. 
•    Ability for multi-factor authentication (MFA) to be enabled for end users who are parents and guardians. 
•    Ability to set up users to send communication to users unable to be rostered through PowerSchool (i.e.: sports, clubs, etc.)
2. User accounts website requirements
•    Ability to support accessibility standards 
•    24/7 technical support with live representatives 
•    Provide mobile first design 
•    Ability to translate into multiple different languages 
•    Ability to push alert messages to all school websites from the district level 
•    Ability to provide intranet functionality, including SSO access for employees to access nonpublic information 
•    Ability to create style guides for the entire district and lock the style guides for school use to create a uniform district branding 
•    Ability to provide training and support for staff; both virtual and in-person options
3. Communications platform requirements
•    24/7 technical support with live representative
•    Provide two-way communication between staff and parents
•    Ability to download and review communications between parents, students and teachers should complaints arise and for purposes
•    Ability to send mass communications to the district within the required timeframes:
o    78,000 calls within 15 minutes
o    Attendance and tardy calls sent within 30 minutes
o    Late bus calls within 15 minutes
•    Ability to remove individual families from groups before sending mass communication out
•    Ability to create templates from the district level and share with the school level (i.e.: evaluation templates, etc.)
•    Ability to send push notifications to parents via text, email, phone, etc., and comply with TCPA for SMS (text messages) so parents can opt-in and out of the messages.
•    Ability to set calling time restrictions per the FTC TCPA
•    Ability to turn on and off two-way communication as needed (as a whole or individuals)
•    Ability to automatically sends messages through mass communication tool for the purpose of absences etc., using sis data and integrations
•    Integration with PowerSchool
•    Integrate with outlook and google calendars evidence of successful implementation with other school districts of similar size (50,000 plus)
•    Auto translation for mass communication tools with the ability to text, email, and call based on the family’s language preference set in PowerSchool
•    Ability to analyze call, text and email data to find wrong numbers, bad numbers
•    Ability to remove duplicate messages to recipients with multiple students.
•    Ability to import bus routes, transportation types (walker, rider, bus rider, etc.), and create notification groups for transportation.
4. Preferred communications platform features
•    Ability to add on an AI chat bot
•    PBIS and behavior component to track behavior and communicate with parents
•    Option for recipients to consolidate daily messages into a single summary and digest
•    Option for end users to schedule time with personnel via outlook and google calendar when appropriate; i.e., conferences, IGP meetings, etc.
•    Ability to communicate to a group of staff members simultaneously
•    Ability for staff not associated with a classroom to contact parents and students (e.g., physical therapist, speech therapist, clubs, athletics, etc.)
•    Ability to specify notification type (phone, email, text, app alert) by category of notification (e.g., district alert, classroom message, teacher and staff message, attendance, grades, etc.)
•    Ability to provide universal forms that follow a student within the portal and hub and are accessible to staff.

- Contract Period/Term: 1 year
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: October 21, 2025