Send attendance messages to families at all your schools
With district automated messages, you can write one attendance message and send it to families at some or all of your schools. You set it up once, and it repeats on the schedule you choose.
Here's why it helps: before, each school had to set up its own message. The wording and timing were often different, and some schools never got to it. Now you can write one message, and edit it in one place for every school it goes to.
Your schools stay in the loop, too. They can see the messages you're sending. That way, they can add their own messages without sending families the same thing twice.
Where to find your messages
In the district product, go to Attendance, then Automated messages. You'll see two tables:
Table | What it shows | What you can do |
District scheduled messages | Messages your district created. Each row shows the message name, which schools it goes to and when it sends. | View or edit |
School scheduled messages | Messages each school created on its own. | View only |
Create a district message
Select New automated message.
Choose which schools the message goes to. You can pick all schools or just some.
In the To field, choose the group of students this message is for. This group is called a segment. You can pick one you already have, or select Create new segment to make a new one. Segments work just like they do in the school product.
Write your message and choose when it repeats.
Select Save. Your message will show in the District scheduled messages table.
➡️ Want to check or change your segments later? Select See / edit segments on the Automated messages card. From there, you can view, edit or delete them.
Edit a district message
Open the actions menu next to the message, then select View or edit.
🎯 Good to know: Your changes apply to every school the message goes to.
What your schools see
School users see your messages in their own Automated messages tab. A District scheduled messages table shows up below the school's own messages. It lists each district message sent to that school, along with who it goes to and when it sends.
School users can open and read your messages, but they can't change or delete them. A note on the table reminds them to check your messages first, so families don't get the same message twice.
Questions you might have
Can I send a message to only some schools?
Yes. When you create the message, pick all schools or choose the ones you want. The table shows which schools each message goes to.
Can I send a message only to certain students, like those with 3 or more absences in a week?
Yes. Use a segment. In the To field, pick a segment you already have, or select Create new segment to make one.
If I edit a district message, does it change for every school?
Yes. A district message is one message, so your changes apply to every school it goes to.
Can I edit messages that a school created?
Not from the district product. To change a school's message, you'd need to log in as that school.
Can schools edit or turn off a district message?
No. Schools can read district messages, but only district admins can change them.
How does a district message show up in reports?
In the district product, it counts as one message sent, not one for each school.
Where can I manage my segments?
In the New automated message window, or by selecting See / edit segments on the Automated messages card.
Need a hand? We'd love to help! Contact the TalkingPoints Support team by reaching out to [partnersupport@talkingpts.org] and we'll walk through it with you.