Blackstone–Millville committee reviews Rave emergency-notification app, outlines next safety drills

The Blackstone–Millville regional school committee spent a substantial portion of its May 15 meeting reviewing a proposed emergency-communications app and the outcome of recent safety drills.

Superintendent Jason DeFalco opened the safety update and asked Denise to brief the committee on Rave, a vendor app the district is evaluating. Denise said Rave “allows announcements to be shared freely within a geographic footprint,” can push notifications or texts to staff and first responders, and can be configured so only authorized phone numbers tied to the district receive alerts.

Committee members asked how the system would handle substitutes and staff who do not install the app. Denise said the app links to the district’s Aspen staff roster so substitutes with phone numbers would receive alerts; staff who decline the app would still receive text notifications if their numbers are in the system but would not be able to send replies through the app. On contract terms and price, Denise stated the annual cost is $5,400 and that a one-year contract is available though a three-year term is more cost-effective.

Several members raised privacy and operational questions, including whether the app could access personal phone data and how messages would route to regional dispatch. Denise said the app is currently used by other schools, municipalities and higher-education institutions; the district is consulting those users and meeting with the vendor to confirm features and safeguards before bringing a purchase request back for approval.

The committee also reviewed results from recently completed safety drills conducted at all four schools with local law enforcement, fire and EMS participation. DeFalco said staff, principals and the SROs observed multiple scenarios, verified door lockdowns and barricading procedures, and used debriefs and student feedback to identify strengths and gaps. “We are not happy that we have to do them but we’re happy that we did them and that we got a good outcome for them,” DeFalco said, summarizing staff and student responses.

Next steps recorded in the meeting: the district will complete tabletop drills, continue teacher and staff outreach about the Rave pilot/evaluation, gather more user feedback from schools already running Rave, and return to the committee with a formal recommendation and contract details for approval.