Effective communication within schools and districts has long been a challenge, with administrators struggling to ensure staff receive timely, relevant updates without overwhelming them with excessive emails. Important messages can get buried in email, or not reach the intended audience.
The new Staff Announcements feature addresses this challenge by providing a streamlined way for administrators to share critical information with the right people at the right time. With Staff Announcements, school and district leaders can send announcements to all staff or to specific schools, ensuring messages reach the intended audience without contributing to “email overload.”
Additionally, staff can view the announcements sent to families, helping them stay informed and aligned while avoiding redundant communication. By simplifying and improving the way information is shared, Staff Announcements enhance efficiency and ensure staff members remain well-connected and up to date.
When will the Staff Announcements feature be available?
The new Staff Announcements functionality will be available for back-to-school 2025.
How will Staff Announcements work?
School and district admin users with appropriate permissions will be able to include staff as recipients on announcements they send. Admin users will have the option to send an announcement to families, staff, and/or students.
Administrators can send announcements to staff only, be that all staff, or a select group, like grade level staff. This can be done at the school or district level.
Staff can also see messages administrators are sending to families so they're in the loop and don't overload families with the same messages.
By default, staff will be included as recipients on all admin announcements, and as of the March 13, 2025 product update, teachers receive notifications when these announcements are sent. Starting with the back-to-school 2025 release, administrators will have the option to select specific recipients for each announcement.
What type of announcements can be sent to staff?
One-way announcements only are included for back-to-school 2025.
How will users access this feature?
Admins will access announcements from the ‘All messages’ tab on the main home page. To send an announcement, the user will select ‘Send a message,’ then choose the recipient in the "To:"line. They can also filter by recipient type (e.g., grade level, families).
Which user/user roles will be able to include staff on their announcements?
TalkingPoints users with a standard role of school admin or district admin, or with permissions to send announcements, will be able to include staff on their announcements.
What staff will be included when “staff” is selected as an announcement recipient, and how will they receive the announcement?
All staff that is rostered in the TalkingPoints system will be included when “staff” is selected as a recipient.
All announcements sent to staff will show in the TalkingPoints for Teachers and TalkingPoints for Schools and Districts web and mobile apps in the individual’s inbox. Staff can also configure push notifications for received announcements on the mobile app.
Can staff be included or cc’d on a direct message or two-way conversation with a student or family contact?
Not at this time. For back-to-school 2025, staff can only be added to outbound announcements sent by admin users or co-teachers.
Are any special permissions or roles needed to include staff on announcements sent?
No, any TalkingPoints user with the ability to send school or district announcements will be able to include staff.
Will users be able to send Staff Announcements from both web and mobile apps?
Yes, in addition to the TalkingPoints web product, admin users will have the ability to remove/add staff on announcements sent on the TalkingPoints for Admins mobile app.
Are teachers able to include other staff on their announcements?
Yes, in addition to the admin Staff Announcements, teachers will have the option to include or “cc:” their co-teachers on announcements only. This means that any teacher can share their announcement with other teachers rostered to the same class or group to provide added visibility and to limit duplication.