LAUSD robocalls have become excessively common, according to some parents
LOS ANGELES (KABC) — If you have a child in the Los Angeles Unified School District, you probably receive a few robocalls every week. The calls are intended to keep families informed, but some parents say they are a bit excessive.
In an interview with ABC7, Andrew Sarkarati played one of the many voicemails from LAUSD that he had saved on his cell phone.
“Greetings families,” the message said. “You are cordially invited to the advisory board elections…”
“It’s annoying,” Sarkarati said. “But how else are you supposed to reach people who may not have access to email?”
While he knows robocalls might be the best way to get the message out, Sarkarati and other parents say it can be a bit overdone.
“Also, looking at my phone and thinking that I’m getting calls from my school or LAUSD — something that concerns my child and may be an emergency — is sometimes an inconvenience,” Allison Davis said.
School district engagement officer Antonio Plascencia says LAUSD officials pay attention to the frequency of messages and only send them to everyone in the district when it’s important – topics like elections, the parent portal, volunteer opportunities and special programs.
“Most of our messaging is aimed at the interests of families,” Plascencia said in an interview. “We use data to inform and identify the target group.”
Some parents think it would be good to have more options.
“If parents could choose certain categories because sometimes I get robocalls or text messages about something that has nothing to do with my child,” Ali Wigart said.
While recipients have the option to opt out of LAUSD robocalls and text messages, opting out is unconditional, which is why the district recommends choosing another form of communication.
“We welcome them to contact the superintendent of their school site,” Plascencia said, “to say, ‘If I opt out of this messaging, what other options are there for me as a parent to continue receiving communications from you? receive?'”
While some are jumping at the chance to unsubscribe, others say they will leave it as is to stay as informed as possible.
“If you have the time to listen to it, you can,” Louis Leal said. “If it doesn’t concern you, you can just hang up and go on with your day.”
To unsubscribe from future messages, listen for instructions after the voice message or follow the prompt in the text message.
