Creating an RFP for a School Communication Solution

In This Guide

  1. Introduction
  2. Program Scope of Services and Requirements

Introduction

When considering implementing any communications or school website initiative, it is important to consider the overall objectives you wish to achieve as well as what is needed now and what might be needed over the long term. With a simple, unified, and fully integrated solution that includes training and support, district and school leaders can be sure they effectively and equitably engage parents, guardians, and other stakeholders. This resource provides information that decision-makers can use to prepare a thoughtful, comprehensive RFP.

Minimal Qualifications

  • Over 15 years of experience providing these services to school districts.
  • Support 190+ languages.
  • Utilized/deployed in all 50 states.
  • Have a customer renewal rate of over 97%.
  • Provides Two-way SMS Messaging.

Program Scope of Services and Requirements

1.0 Unified Communications

  • 1.1 The solution must provide an engagement branding platform that unifies school-to-home messaging (such as voice, text, app, email, website, and social media), reducing the number of communication solutions the district has to manage and support.
  • 1.2 The platform must involve all stakeholder groups from parents to building leaders/teachers, students, district administrators, coaches, etc.

2.0 Core Family Engagement Elements

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The platform must:

  • 2.1 Allow two-way communication between a parent/guardian and school/district staff.
  • 2.2 Support multi-language two-way communication.
  • 2.3 Allow users to opt-out of messaging, with the exception of emergency messages/notices.
  • 2.4 Allow guardians to be automatically linked to their child’s classroom/group.
  • 2.5 Support the ability to publish information to any group, either from the SIS or manually created, including district-level.
  • 2.6 Support attendance letters and notifications.

3.0 School Services (additional family convenience and engagement features)

The platform can:

  • 3.1 Have the ability to send online PDFs of report cards, progress reports and other documents securely (two-factor authentication).
  • 3.2 Provide E-signature functionality for documents.
  • 3.3 Have the ability to create, fill, and electronically sign online forms and permission slips.
  • 3.4 Include a parent/teacher conference scheduler.
  • 3.5 Include the ability for volunteer signups.
  • 3.6 Have the ability to import external calendars. Must support sync with device calendar.
  • 3.7 Include an event RSVP feature.
  • 3.8 Include the ability for users to make monetary donations.
  • 3.9 Include the ability for users to sign up for items to bring to events (e.g., classroom supplies).
  • 3.10 Include polling options (surveys, quizzes, etc.).

4.0 Mass Alerts and Notifications

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The platform must:

  • 4.1 Include a modern mass notification system proven to support the needs of top-25 largest U.S. School Districts.
  • 4.2 Have the ability to share logistics and routine notices with parents, staff and custom groups.
  • 4.3 Allow the sender to send messages via multiple modes simultaneously. This may include one message being sent through multiple modes.
  • 4.4 Send messages that can be received by multiple devices on multiple platforms.
  • 4.5 Allow the ability to create, publish, edit, and schedule urgent/mass alerts and notifications in multiple modalities: phone, email, text, app, social media, push notifications, and website integration.
  • 4.6 Be able to send emergency alerts to all contacts simultaneously.
  • 4.7 Enable district/building leaders to manage sending/receiving messages from a computer and/or mobile device.
  • 4.8 Offer the ability to deliver audio messages in the user’s own voice (pre-recorded), or text-to-speech. Messages sent via text-to-speech must be deliverable in multiple languages.
  • 4.9 Allow text messages to contain more than 150 characters.
  • 4.10 Allow attachments to be included in an email or text message, including documents and wav files.
  • 4.11 Include automated message capabilities to inform parents about attendance, lunch balances, bus routes, etc.
  • 4.12 Allow guardians to electronically create an excuse note for absences/tardies.
  • 4.13 Allow two-way messaging without an app (no download or app installation required).

5.0 Targeted Messaging

The platform can:

  • 5.1 Have the ability for targeted messaging, including filtering contacts by various identifiers (e.g. school, office, class, grade, ESOL, graduate, team, etc.).
  • 5.2 Be able to customize automated attendance calls from once a day to multiple times a day based on a school’s class schedule, including period by period attendance.
  • 5.3 Include templates for newsletters or branded communications from the district and/or buildings.
  • 5.4 Allow the district to communicate with non-district contacts (not found in the SIS system).
  • 5.5 Allow users to create and save multiple groups of contacts for later use.
  • 5.6 Support the manual maintenance of imported contact groups as well as the automated, scheduled maintenance of contact groups.
  • 5.7 Provides 2-way SMS messaging.

6.0 Translations

The platform must:

  • 6.1 Easily auto-translate (one-way) alerts/notifications in users’ preferred languages for email, text-to-speech, and SMS messages.
  • 6.2 Allow instant translation of direct (two-way) messages.
  • 6.3 Offer text-to-speech as part of translation services.
  • 6.4 Offer manual/editable translation capabilities.
  • 6.5 Offer options for translation on the provided school website or similar.
  • 6.6 Provide embedded AI translation functionality.

7.0 Website Hosting and CMS

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The platform must:

  • 7.1 Support drag-and-drop page layout and WYSIWYG editing with the full complement of formatting tools such as font, font size, font color, background color, line height (spacing), alignment, bulleted and numbered lists, superscript, subscript, and special characters.
  • 7.2 WYSIWYG editor must also integrate with Google Drive and OneDrive to allow linking to files stored in those cloud services.
  • 7.3 Offer a fully responsive browsing experience to ensure content displays properly on devices of all sizes (desktop, tablet, and mobile).
  • 7.4 Allow editors with proper permissions to update any page’s layout and design (including the homepage) without needing to open a support request or pay additional fees.
  • 7.5 Support unique subdomains for each subsite.
  • 7.6 Contain a built-in search tool that offers advanced search options including the ability to search the entire district or just a single school site.
  • 7.7 Support pop-up alerts for urgent notifications that can be generated directly from the website or via the integrated communication solution.
  • 7.8 Offer consistent navigation between desktop and mobile, including the ability to drill down up to four levels into the site structure.
  • 7.9 Offer accessibility guardrails to ensure editors remain compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, level AA.
  • 7.10 Support a content moderation workflow whereby an editor with limited rights must have their work approved by another editor who is designated as the approver before it is published.
  • 7.11 Support an unlimited number of calendars for both the district and individual schools.
  • 7.12 Include the ability to sync the staff directory with a data source such as an SIS for hands-free updating.
  • 7.13 Offer intranet capabilities such that certain pages or sections can be locked down so only certain staff members can view them.
  • 7.14 Offer unlimited storage for documents, images, and audio/video.
  • 7.15 Allow for creation of unlimited pages and sections.
  • 7.16 Include unlimited user accounts with customizable permissions to indicate which pages, document/image folders, and calendars a user has access to edit.
  • 7.17 Support the ability to add custom HTML, CSS, and Javascript.
  • 7.18 Include exportable native analytics that track page traffic, as well as be compatible with Google Analytics.
  • 7.19 Support a single news feed that can incorporate items from both the district and the school, with the ability to switch between a variety of display styles and control how many items show in the feed.
  • 7.20 Provide pre-configured website templates.
  • 7.21 Can post content, i.e., news or announcements from the integrated communication solution. Also, must have the ability to include images.

8.0 Attendance (Chronic Absenteeism)

The platform must provide:

  • 8.1 Data Integration & Accessibility
    • 8.1.1 Automated SIS Synchronization: The platform shall integrate with the District’s Student Information System (SIS) via API or Secure FTP (CSV). It must retrieve and process daily absences (full and half-day), period-level attendance, and tardies. 
    • 8.1.2 Administrative Permissions & Provisioning: The system must support granular, role-based permissions. This includes, but is not limited to, District/School Administrator views, Read-Only access, and Teacher-level access restricted to assigned student rosters.
    • 8.1.3 Data Reporting API: The solution must provide a Reporting API to allow the District to export data (notes, interventions, message logs, and staff assignments).
  • 8.2 Attendance Analytics & Tiered Management
    • 8.2.1 Tier Categorization: The system shall automatically categorize students into customizable Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) risk tiers based on cumulative attendance patterns.
    • 8.2.2 Customizable Thresholds: District administrators must be able to define and modify the number of tiers, naming conventions, and specific absenteeism percentage thresholds for each tier.
    • 8.2.3 Trend Analysis: The platform must provide visual data modeling to identify trends, such as temporal patterns (absences by day of the week) and longitudinal student-level history.
    • 8.2.4 Audit Trails: The solution must maintain a centralized history log for every student, documenting all sent messages, recorded notes, assigned interventions, and tier transitions.
  • 8.3. Intervention Tracking & Case Management
    • 8.3.1 Digital Task Management: The platform must replace manual spreadsheets with dedicated “Task Lists” for attendance staff. This interface shall track student caseloads, communication actions, and intervention statuses (e.g., Pending, In-Progress, Completed).
    • 8.3.2 Management Dashboards: School and District administrators shall have access to high-level dashboards providing real-time oversight into intervention progress and staff productivity.
    • 8.3.3 Collaborative Notes: Authorized staff must be able to record and share student-specific notes that remain persistent and viewable to other users with appropriate permissions for that school or student record.
  • 8.4. Attendance Communications & Engagement
    • 8.4.1 Two-Way Multi-Modal Messaging: The system must facilitate two-way communication, allowing parents to respond to attendance messages from the attendance solution via SMS, email, or mobile app.
    • 8.4.2 Targeted Outreach: Staff must be able to filter student lists by tier, unexcused/excused counts, or suspension status to send targeted, templated (pre-written) notifications at the school-level.
    • 8.4.3 Automated Threshold Alerts: The system shall trigger automated, translated direct messages to parents once a student hits a pre-defined absenteeism threshold.
    • 8.4.4 Deliverability Reporting: The platform must provide engagement analytics (delivery rates, open rates, and bounce-backs) to help administrators identify “unreachable” families and correct contact data.
  • 8.5. Compliance Workflows & Mandated Notifications
    • 8.5.1 Dynamic Document Generation: The solution shall automatically generate legally compliant, bilingual attendance letters (e.g., Truancy, SART, and SARB notices). These must dynamically populate with student data, specific dates of absence, and legal language.
    • 8.5.2 Verified Digital Delivery: Official notices must be delivered via secure document links that generate a timestamped audit trail (proof of delivery and proof of opening). Users must also have the option to print physical copies.
    • 8.5.3 Dependency & Escalation Logic: To ensure compliance (specifically for California education code), the system must enforce “dependency logic” that prevents escalation to higher-level enforcement (SARB) until prerequisite interventions (SART) are marked as complete.
    • 8.5.4 Review & Approval Interface: The workflow must include a “Review and Send” queue, allowing staff to approve, suppress, or schedule the distribution of automated notifications and letters by specific dates and times.

9.0 Reporting

The platform can:

  • 9.1 Provide complete administrative oversight, security, and reporting.
  • 9.2 Provide insight into how individual schools are communicating to stakeholders.
  • 9.3 Report metrics on parent response and engagement.
  • 9.4 Provide information on who is not receiving messages so that contact information errors can be corrected.
  • 9.5 Collect data on undelivered and blocked messages to be included in reports.

10.0 Integrations

The platform must:

  • 10.1 Easily connect to district SIS (e.g., PowerSchool) and sync (at minimum) on a nightly schedule.
  • 10.2 Be able to upload additional contacts not in the SIS.
  • 10.3 Offer Single Sign On Google Workspace, Microsoft Azure, and/or ADFS-Based SSO (SAML) Enterprise Integration capabilities.
  • 10.4 Provide seamless integration with the district student information system (SIS) with a documented methodology. Partnership with the SIS preferred (i.e. Aequitas, Aeries, Aspen, Central Access, Mindex, Skyward, PowerSchool).
  • 10.5 Provide direct integration with Canva for images and other design elements.
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11.0 Support and Training

  • 11.1 Provide a timeline for training and onboarding.
  • 11.2 The vendor must provide or facilitate training to district staff at all levels (teachers, staff, administrators, and/or families).

12.0 For Data Privacy and Security

  • 12.1 The vendor must have an iKeepSafe Privacy COPPA Safe Harbor Seal.
  • 12.2 The vendor must have an iKeepSafe Privacy FERPA Badge.
  • 12.3 The solution must adhere to student privacy principles and be willing to sign student data privacy agreements.
  • 12.4 Vendor must have SOC 2 Tier 2 Certification.
  • 12.5 Provide Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for administrators and staff.

13.0 Customer Support

  • 13.1 The vendor must offer customer support that can help answer questions or be available for urgent issues, etc.

14.0 Optional Services

  • 14.1 Provide a virtual phone feature that assigns unique numbers to staff, enabling calls without revealing personal numbers, with call tracking and Office Hours.
  • 14.2 Provide a payment feature that enables simple, secure K-12 payments, consolidating requests, reminders, and reporting in one unified platform.
  • 14.3 Provide tools for MTSS functionality.

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