Safe Arrival
What is SchoolMessenger’s SafeArrival?
SchoolMessenger’s SafeArrival is an absence-management system that improves student safety and makes it easy for you to let the school know about your child’s absence.
You are asked to report your child’s absence in advance whenever possible using one of these convenient methods:
Interactive Toll-Free Phone
- Call the toll-free, interactive telephone system at 1-833-582-6940
- If the system does not recognize your caller ID, you will be asked to enter a phone number that the school has on record for you
- Follow the instructions to report an absence
SchoolMessenger Through PowerSchool
- Log into the Parent Portal of PowerSchool
- If signing in for the first time, follow the instructions at the bottom of the page
- Select the SchoolMessenger link from the left-hand menu
- Select Attendance from the menu, then select Report an Absence
- Follow the prompts
App
- Download the SchoolMessenger app for Android and iOS devices
- Sign up using your PowerSchool username (full email adress) that the school has on record for you
- Click on Attendance
- Follow the prompts
Absences can be reported in advance, up to the start of the school day on the date of your child’s absence:
- 24 hours/day
- 7 days a week
- For any school day during the current school year
When an absence is reported or updated, you will receive a confirmation notice by email.
If you don’t report your child’s absence in advance, the automated notification system will try to contact you. This may include an email, text message, and phone call. You will be asked to confirm your child’s absence.
If you try to explain an absence using SchoolMessenger, but are then told that it is past the cut-off time, please contact the school directly.
If you do not want to receive notifications when your child is absent, be sure to report their absence in advance.
If the automated system cannot reach you, a school staff member will contact you.
What is the cut-off time for reporting my student’s absence? Why won’t the system let me edit/delete an absence?
The cut-off time is 30 minutes after the school’s start time. After the 30 minutes, you will not be able to edit/delete the absence. If there is a change to the absence after the cut-off time, please contact the school.
How do I report that my student will be late? How do I report a half-day absence?
Only full-day absences can be recorded with SchoolMessenger’s SafeArrival. If your student is going to be late or only miss the first half of the day, record a full-day absence. When the student arrives at school, the full-day absence will be changed to a late code or half-day absence.
Why does the system keep calling me about the same absence?
If no one confirms the absence, the system will keep calling about the same absence for a pre-configured length of time.
How do I use the automated phone number 1-833-582-6940 to report an absence?
If calling from a phone number that the school has on record for you, the caller ID will recognize the number and prompt you to report an absence for your student. If calling from another phone number, the system will first prompt you to key in a phone number that the school has on file for you. You will then be prompted to report an absence.
Can anyone who knows my phone number report an absence using the phone system?
Yes, anyone who uses a phone number that is registered for your student or anyone who can enter a phone number that is registered for your student can report an absence. You will receive an email confirmation anytime an absence is created.
You can add a requirement for a PIN to be entered before an absence can be reported for a student. This can be done on the Attendance page of the SchoolMessenger app or site itself.
When I call the phone and follow the prompts, the prompts repeat and I’m unable to get a confirmation number. What should I do?
If there is an issue with the menu prompts, hang up and try again. If the issue persists, contact the school to report the absence.
How do I log into PowerSchool to record my student’s absence?
Visit the PowerSchool website. Your username is the full email address that the school has on file for you and the one you receive communication to from the school. If you have never signed into PowerSchool before, you must visit the site to reset your password by clicking on Forgot password and clicking on the Parent tab. Instructions are on the main page.
Once in PowerSchool, click on the SchoolMessenger link in the bottom left, and from the three-line menu in the top left corner, choose Attendance and follow the prompts to create a new absence.
When I login to the PowerSchool app, there is nowhere to enter attendance. What should I do?
The PowerSchool app does not have a link to SchoolMessenger and cannot be used for SafeArrival. When using the PowerSchool option, you must use the PowerSchool website.
When I try to log into the SchoolMessenger app, it won’t allow me to use my PowerSchool email and password.
When using the app for the first time, you must click on Sign Up and use your PowerSchool email and password to create the account. After the account is created, you will use the same credentials to log in.
Where do I get my PowerSchool username and password to log into the app?
Your username is the full email that the school has on file for you and the one you receive communication to from the school. If you have never signed into PowerSchool before, you must visit the site to reset your password by following the instructions on the main page of the website.
When logging into the SchoolMessenger app, it says my email address is not associated with any SchoolMessenger enabled records. What should I do?
When setting up the app, the email address must be the address that is associated with the email in PowerSchool. If you’re unsure of what that email is, please contact your school.
One of my children is not listed on the Attendance page or in the list of children for whom I can report absences. What should I do?
SchoolMessenger’s SafeArrival will be rolling out gradually in schools. Only students at schools where SafeArrival has launched will appear in your list. If you do not see your child listed and SafeArrival has been introduced at your child's school, please contact their school.