Potential Delays Demanded Notification System, Admin Says
ST. LOUIS (Mar. 17, 2008) -- Miles of closures and major renovation along a highway used to ferry thousands of children to school could mean countless delays over two years. But the Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Corporation is helping parents by sending pre-recorded messages on traffic delays.
The Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Corporation (VICC) transports nearly 7,500 students from the predominantly African-American St. Louis inner city to predominantly white county schools and from the county to magnet programs in the city. The system was formed as a corporate non-profit in 1999 to replace the previous desegregation busing system.
When VICC learned Highway 40/I-64 would undergo a two-year renovation project that includes closing a 10-mile stretch of the highway, it turned to SchoolReach to broadcast messages on any delays, said Tammy Webb, VICC director of operations.
The system lets VICC officials record a voice message and simultaneously send it to thousands of parents on a contact list, notifying them of road closures and other potential delays.
SchoolReach, a division of GroupCast, was founded in 2002. According to co-founder and VP of operations Paul Longhorst, the company now serves nearly 2,800 public and private schools in the 48 contiguous states.
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