Blackboard Connect is an alert and communication system used by primarily universities, schools and other organizations.

“The system automatically collects the data we have on file for each student and sends notifications through email and phone,” director of communications Devin Sherrill said.

The District began the transition to Blackboard Connect in December and was full on and functioning in January.

“We made the change to a new mass communication system for several reasons. Our previous system simply did not meet the needs of our parents or our District. Login was complicated for parents and collection of data for grade notification was an ongoing issue,” Sherrill said.

For the future, all school districts will have to switch to a new system for collecting data and reporting starting in the next school year.

“While we have used ABSCAN in the past, the Arkansas Department of Education is transitioning all districts to eSchool. This will be a new way of collecting data and we felt Blackboard was best equipped to work with us during this change,” Sherrill said.

Blackboard Connect is available free on both the iPhone and Android along with the web. The link to the site is located on the homepage in the quick links sidebar or through typing https://bryantschools.bbcportal.com in your search bar or browser.

For access to Blackboard MyConnect accounts, the parent or guardian must have the student’s ID number along with an email or phone number that the school has on file connecting the student to that parent or guardian.

The system allows for users to select the topics that they want notifications about, such notifications send a push to the users smartphone.

“The system is fast and reliable. As communication director, I have instant access to Blackboard using my phone and can send and reach parents in minutes” Sherrill said.

Automatic emergency alerts are also pushed to the users, to help keep users informed about rough weather.

“We have missed three days due to inclement weather, with one delayed start day.  Blackboard has been extremely efficient in delivering these school closing messages to our parents,” Sherrill said.

The purpose is to have parents more involved in the education of their student so letters were sent home and emails were sent out, notifying parents about the new system.

“Most parents have found the system easy to use. Logging on using a student id # and connecting to the account has been a fairly simple transition,” Sherrill said.

These features allow for better interactions between teachers, parents and students, making Blackboard Connect more effective.