Austin ISD Is Asking Parents To Update Contact Information So Every Student Can Be Reached

The Austin Independent School District is asking all parents to update their contact information so teachers and principals can get in touch during the coronavirus pandemic. The district is trying to speak with every family to see if they need access to food, medical care or technology so their students can do assignments from home.

Many schools are having trouble connecting with every student because contact information may be outdated. That can affect when a student gets a district-issued Chromebook to connect with teachers and do school work.

During a virtual town hall hosted by the Austin Justice Coalition on Wednesday night, LBJ High School Principal Jon Bailey said he and his staff are trying to find every student. He said when digital learning first started during the pandemic, around 60% of the students logged onto an online platform.

He said he and his staff are putting on their “counselor hat” to make sure each family and student is in touch.

“We have a list of students," he said, "and we’re going through each student, looking at who’s connecting, who’s not connecting, why aren’t they connecting and what support do they need, and who’s going to be the point contact that’s going to reach out to that family.”

Bailey said when they do connect with a student or parent, they give advice on how students can manage their time and how parents can guide their kids through at-home learning.

Bailey said the number of students connecting increases each day.

To update contact information, you can call your school and they will help you, or you can do it online. AISD sent out these instructions for updating online:

1. Log in to your Parent Self-Serve account, a tile located in your Parent Cloud account at my.austinisd.org.
2. Go to the Edit Contact Info tab. Click the Edit button in the Edit Phone Numbers section to change your home, work or cell number.
3. Click the Edit button in the Edit Email Address section to change your email address.
4. Click Submit Changes and you should see your info changes on the Contact Info tab.

For help, contact the Parent Help Desk at 512-414-9187 or your principal.

Got a tip? Email Claire McInerny at claire@kut.org. Follow her on Twitter @ClaireMcInerny.

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